Wrap around care for those who don't work??

A little judgemental. Our daughter attends breakfast club as our husband now isn't allowed to work from home like he has been doing for 4 years and I'm unable to get my mobility scooter out of the house as we have a boundary step. I'm sure there are lots of reasons why its accessed by parents. Besides, how do you know they aren't working?

Really, this is just another benefits and disability bashing thread!

Working parents can’t think they as a group are paying tax for wraparound care and it’s unfair on them, when millions of people are also paying tax, who don’t have children under the age of 18.

Most adults pay tax whether it’s through income tax and NI; or VAT, council tax, CGT, IHT, insurance premium tax, stamp duty, duty on fuel/alcohol/cigarettes and any other stealth taxes.

I personally would prefer schools to provide breakfast for children, who won’t get it otherwise, so they can concentrate in class and benefit from their education rather than pays much more years later, for them to be in prison, because they never learnt to read and write properly!

Well said.

We've also had years upon years of austerity and cut backs of vital community and statutory services... I'm completely pro welfare for anyone who needs it and the number of claimants who don't need it is a small minority.

But haven't we been doing this for years as a society anyway.

The welfare state

I would say it's bigger even than that - better outcomes for children and less poverty/ neglect/ hunger means less unemployment, less crime, a healthier economy overall, less demand on health care etc etc... if you want to live in a nice, civilised, safe society then we ALL need to contribute to helping those who are struggling or who are likely to struggle via taxes. Otherwise we will pay more to fix the problems that were created years ago when we let the children of that society suffer. It's paying it forward.

Yes they/we could but I doubt any will.

I think it is mean to make such a point about this. This is for the good of children!

OP, do you seriously think your income tax would go down if this 'wrap-around' care was not provided for children?

I think the point being made is that 'working' parents are paying for this, via taxes. However, one could argue that non-parents are paying taxes that support all parents with breakfast clubs etc.

@Raisinsandweetabix In our school Breakfast club is not wrap around care & it is open to as many as need to use it, you do not need to book to use our breakfast club, & is there mainly to make sure kids who might not get fed on a morning do get fed so they are not hungry while trying to learn.
Afterschool provision is wrap around care & is often limited numbers so those in work & needing the wrap around care are prioritised!

Yes the fathers need to take some responsibility or a financial hit

I think in 2024 it’s crushing that some kids prospects and chances at education are still impacted by their hunger and basics needs being met. IMO the family you’re born into is a matter of luck. It’s not lucky to need breakfast club for some cheap cereal or otherwise go without.

This thread is a load of moaning over nothing, the lazy bums you moan about are highly unlikely to get their asses out of bed an hour early to get to breakfast club.

Good point, well made. Its always the same couple of chaotic parent’s dragging their poor kids in, who are clutching their pain au chocolat or brioche roll whilst simultaneously saying “Guys don’t make us late” at my school. There is zero prospect of them dropping off an hour earlier, funded or otherwise.

Yep, I agree.

It may also be the difference needed for many on low wages to make work pay.

There are so many issues at play here. I’m all for breakfast and wraparound care for all children but I just don’t see how it’s feasible in a school setting. Breakfast Club for many children will be about feeding them, keeping them warm & having them arrive in good time for lessons but for others it’s about allowing parents to have jobs which might otherwise be precluded due to drop off and pick ups. Very different but I believe both valid.
I can understand your frustration OP when you pay your taxes but can’t access the wraparound benefit too. Actually I think everyone does but some like to pretend they don’t, and prefer to make you look bad.
I also agree it seems unbelievable ’parents’ are not taking responsibility for teaching their own offspring to clean their teeth, believe nursery or even school should toilet train them and don’t prioritise nutrition over vapes, tv channels or foreign holidays.
I would always prioritise these kids for wraparound care though and hope it gave them a greater chance in life.
I think you are more disgruntled with your sil than anything else and I get that too.
I do believe fathers should be named to HMRC (or some other body) and monies directly taken from their wages/benefits. Perhaps then birth control success would miraculously improve for men with multiple children with multiple women they don’t support financially or emotionally.

This thread is a load of moaning over nothing, the lazy bums you moan about are highly unlikely to get their asses out of bed an hour early to get to breakfast club. Honestly I'm friends with some self admitted lazy female dogs who would never drag their ass out of bed early when their kids can just pour their own cereal and milk.

So relax, the people you hate are not actually even stealing your places, it's most likely high in demand from other working parents who are willing to pay just like you and parents with other children who are disabled (as has been mentioned on this thread and we can't exactly begrudge that can we)

So how do you suggest parents do it then without the use of the clubs?
you can barely get to work, works the hours you need to and get back again by 6 as it is.

Breakfast clubs are a great idea for lots of reasons.
One of which is childcare so the important thing is ensuring spaces for all that need it/want it.

if there are limited spaces and not enough for working parents then we do have an issue as it is essential that there are childcare opportunities to enable people to work. Otherwise we have a big problem in society.

So you think socialism equals compassion? Where in the world has socialism ever resulted in compassion. Name one place. Just one.

This is the problem with regurgitating sound bites without understanding reality or having any knowledge of how the real world works.

So it’s now stupid and batshit to have compassion for those less fortunate than yourself, is it?

I see that Maggie’s ideals have come to fruition in some of your generation. The Sun newspaper will be so proud. 🤦🏻‍♀️

This has been happening in other countries such as Norway for years. It's not a new concept.

You wouldn't want to deprive a vulnerable child to cock a snook at the welfare system because you're a decent human being, I'm guessing. I wonder at the integrity of those who start these threads.

Most secondary schools offer free breakfast and there’s never any fuss about that, only when it’s for smaller children.
A lot of it is to do with getting children in on time, everyone is more relaxed as well rather than rushing in the door.

There are a vast amount of children in breakfast/after school club, most of which are there because it is safer for them to be there.
Many school children are abused/hungry or in DV households.
my DC went to the childminders after school. I had to pay and I worked full time. I would never want to deprive a child in need to make me feel better about the welfare system.

I think my beef with some threads on mumsnet is they come with a nasty whiff of ableism. There's an assumption that those who don't work are just lazy. Many disabilities aren't visible.

Agree, but imagine a parent with a chronic illness who may be struggling to always have breakfast on the table. Or if they unable to decently dress their child etc. These things can be flagged up at breakfast clubs and appropriate agencies contacted. I'm not saying schools need to replace parents. I'm saying that if parents and kids need a little help, it's not a bad thing to provide something to make a child's life a bit less challenging.