AIBU to think parents should lose benefits /homes for persistently antisocial children?

I’m not sure it would actually work in most cases. You could potentially give out a fine with an ASBO and then it’s not just benefits claimants being penalised. But I can’t see that actually working to improve the behaviour. The kids of people who are behaving like aren’t just going to stop because their mum has got a fine.
Someone up thread suggested parenting courses, I think this has more merit. We could really invest in this and make it available (mandatory) to everyone who has a baby. It could really be worth the investment for improving society.

It would be a tad harsh to dock benefits and evict families for hogging the swings wouldn't it

I’ve worked with some of these kids. Nobody cares about them, their parents don’t really give a shit, their teachers at school don’t care and society doesn’t care. The problem with taking money away from their parents is it just proves that nobody cares and drives them sooner into crime.

They’re actually very vulnerable

@dontthreatenmewithagoodtime Wrong post? 🤣 Though, more swings would probably be a really good start in both scenarios.

deleted post, wrong thread 😶

There are so many entrenched issues here that are bigger than money.

The intergenerational trauma that gets passed from parents to children doesn't just stop when the child turns 18 and becomes an adult in the eyes of the law. The cycle begins again when they become parents.

A fear of lack of money isn't going to make someone into a better parent. What simplistic nonsense.

And you do know anti social teens can come from homes that aren't on benefits too, right, where their money can't be taken away? 🤦

A non local Harrier group came to our area and set up a big long fox and hounds type run including false trails which encompassed my drive and garden. They were very arrogant, it wasn't pre arranged. They just turned up and took over!

I saw one bloke actually kick my dog. When I complained via email i got a miserable, pompous reply back.
I think all Harriers groups should be disbanded, sorry to hear other community stake holder groups find your activity disruptive.

So why do you just want to make the poor ones homeless then? Why do you think removing homes and food would work? And how do you plan to deal with those with some money?

@Sartre ”The trouble is, they have nothing to do. Burnham was right yesterday when he said if we’re closing digital space for them we need to reopen physical space.”

I didn’t see that, but he’s spot on there. I’ll look up the speech. Thank you.

Well said. I would start with tough action against middle class drug users who seem to think their cocaine habit is an acceptable leisure activity.

I don't think this system would work or actually help.

But I too am sick of the ASB in kids seen these days and I'm sorry but 90% of the time it's scummy kids coming from scummy families. There are obviously exceptions where a child coming from a good home with parents who are actually positive, functioning members of society, just gets in with the wrong crowd or whatever but most of the time it's learned behaviour and their parents and wider family are just as bad.

I've lived on council estates, I'm not talking from some high horse £1mil mansion looking down on the poor folk. I am well aware that a lot of residents are just regular, lovely people just getting on with their lives but it's disingenuous to pretend there isn't also a problem with this sort of behaviour from both children and families in general living in those areas. I've lived next door to several, I've had police knocking at my door numerous occasions looking for the last specimen I was unfortunate enough to live next door to for a number of years. That's not to say it is always families on a council estate but let's be honest here, it often is and I've not had anywhere near the same amount of problems since moving off a council estate. I'm sure someone will come along shortly to tell me that's just anecdotal but I'm not buying it. I don't know what the answer is.

But, having worked in that field, some parents just refuse to engage with any help offered.

They are completely uninterested. 🤷‍♀️

And how will that help? The scummy families won't care and we'll end up with a bigger mess of homelessness to unpick.

And the parents who have been desperately asking for help / more money to support their dc's will be chucked on the scrap heap.

We could fund more police officers on the ground, sure start, youth clubs, work experience in school. But that's all long gone now.

I avoid running in the evening because of teens like this. I’ve had them run after me, jump in front of me, laugh at me and shout things I can’t hear thanks to AirPods on full blast. Just can’t be bothered with the hassle so I always run in the morning.

The trouble is, they have nothing to do. Burnham was right yesterday when he said if we’re closing digital space for them we need to reopen physical space. Youth centres closed down, extracurricular clubs often cost a fortune (though I recommend cadets which is free!) and they’re simply just bored so cause a nuisance.

I’m not sure systematically starving their entire family by removing part of their income will help.

This isn't how civilised societies arrange things.

What is needed is investment in the services that protect society.

Great point about sure start centres they were excellent

It really doesn’t take longer than thirty seconds of thinking to realise why this doesn’t work…

Anti-social children cause problem. Benefits stop. Family made homeless (‘homeless’ might mean ‘on the streets’ or ‘moved somewhere else’). Family have no access to money. What do we honestly think they’re going to do now?

A much more logical solution would be a return of Sure Start centres, improved youth facilities, greater role out of HAF type projects, better school funding, etc etc.

Absolutely not. Ridiculous and cruel idea.

I have known and worked with families who are lovely and yet have a child who is out of control, often has got into drugs quite young and they do everything they can but the support services just aren’t there eg camhs due to wait times etc so the situation escalates . They have younger dc who don’t deserve to be punished.

The system needs an overhaul. CAMHS needs urgent help to reduce waiting times, substance support services for teenagers needs to be better , community services and support need improving. Innocent parents and siblings of these teenagers do not need punishing.

You forgot to link to the daily mail article you must have read this morning OP

www.dailymail.com/news/article-16096677/Dock-benefits-parents-anti-social-youngsters-Middlesbrough.html

What about the rich kids that are just as bad?

Or are we only about punishing the plebs?

Where do you propose these children live...
on the Streets?

Quite. I luckily never needed benefits, but DH and were working class ‘poor-ish’ and lived in social housing.

My two children were bought up not to be anti social - and they weren’t.

Feral uncaring parents rear feral kids - and they can be found in all social groups, and all types of housing.

But, I do agree that the parents need to be held accountable, in some way, if they don’t control their children.

I guess the thinking is that if their lives are being paid for by the public then if they behave badly to the public they should have it taken away. I agree to an extent.

Shallow and unserious “solutions” to complex problems.
We are, in lots of cases, talking about the grip that serious organised crime has on an area.
Why do you think we had 60+ year old women arrested following the crash?

If the middle classes stopped funding the drugs that are being channelled through these areas we might get somewhere.

Jesus Christ. I can’t decide if this is more akin to eugenics or ethnic cleansing. Nice. Those poor, poor harriers having to change their route. I wonder how many of the parents living in those horrid little council estates have the privilege of having a hobby like that? This is a new low for Mumsnet.

btw, I am as privileged and middle class as you can get with a very troubled neurodivergent kid with mental health problems who had borderline antisocial behaviour. Luckily I was able to pay my way into getting the support necessary to transform his behaviour and he is about to go to uni. Good to know I escaped the punishment I would have deserved had I been poor 🙄🙄.