to think charities should not feed children

[moogster1a]

Listening to a discussion on radio 5 about how so many children go hungry because their parents cannot afford to feed them or their lives are so chaotic they just don't think to feed them.
benefit money is enough to feed a family. If the parents lives are so cocked up that they have better priorities than feeding their own children, then the children should not be with them.
I don't understand why if the charities concerned know the children are basically starving, then why SS aren't taking the children in hand.
I understand some people have MH issues, but again, should they really be in charge of their children's basic requirements if they can't meet them?
The discussion has mentioned a few times how some parents have drug and or alcohol issues. In that case, either get straightened out and spend that money on food, or the children go into care.

I have never encountered anyone who would buy healthy start vouchers, and if I did, it would be breaking the law.

I use them to buy vegetables. But it is often massively inconvenient, carefully trying to get past £3.10, on things that won't perish too fast.

Do workers who can't afford the children have to take part of their wage as vouchers for food?

The majority of children in poverty have at least one parent who works.

A charity should not need to feed children any where in the world. The fact is though that there are children going to school hungry. Feeding them breakfast (which parents contribute towards) does two things:

1. It ensures they have breakfast
2. It enables children to be in a position to learn.

How many threads are there about badly behaved kids putting off the nice middle class ones - when the kid is actually unable to work because they are starving.

Not all children live in nice homes with attentive parents. There are many many reasons a child can arrive at school hungry, I think Magic Breakfasts do a fantastic job.

Best backtracking ever.

"Kladdkaka - Oh I thought that was what housing benefit and Local Housing Allowance was for i.e. to pay the rent?"

Ophelia the LHA is capped at a very low rate. I can't recall the % but essentially the rents for the local area are taken and averaged out then a pretty significant percentage is lopped off. It's the remaining figure which is paid in benefit. So, if the average rent for a 2 bed in your area is £500 the HB will cover a lesser percentage of it and you have to find the excess from your food/bill/clothing income. If your rent is above the average then of course you have to find an even higher percentage, and in layman's terms that means you're fucked.

I dont understand the 3.10 thebigjessie do you have to work out your veg and fruit to this amount , that is just daft what a stupid amount

Kladdkaka - Oh I thought that was what housing benefit and Local Housing Allowance was for i.e. to pay the rent?

It doesn't cover all of it and it can take months to sort out. So in the mean time ...

There are people who prioritise other things over their childrens food and well being (I know because I was bought up by one)

But how is not giving that child a meal a day going to change her attitude? It isnt! The only person it will effect is the child.

bigjessie did you know you can use the vouchers for frozen veg? In most cases, frozen is as good as fresh

You can also freeze milk..... Sorry for hijack of thread!

Well, you could say that my decision to have children was selfish and prioritising my own needs, because I chose to keep my second when I was ill and on my own. I don't deny I've made horrendous choices that have resulted in me ending up this way, not choices I regret, but certainly choices I have learned from. I never knew I was going to end up this sick, but I have also been completely irresponsible in relationships and life whilst learning how to get by after an abusive childhood.

Since I have come from a crap start myself, I look at other struggling parents and try to see what is positive and how they are choosing to try to parent with help rather than the fact that they are addicts, or have had poor role models or childhoods, or learning disabilities, or an abusive partner, or the many various reasons why people end up down here at the bottom of the pile. I'd rather we try to make a difference and give people chances, rather than snatch away children first. Obviously there are exceptions, but I choose to believe that they are in the minority of the people I see here in my own life.

Yep. I do. Fortunately, I always have pen and paper with me, but this constant budgeting into £3.10 amounts is exactly the kind of thing, that the caricature of a low income parent is going to have trouble with, isn't it?

It makes weighing broccoli very exciting.

Yeah, I buy a lot of frozen veg! (I actually started a huge fight over it in another thread, but that's another story...)

rabbits with the best will in the world, what on earth are you ion about. I am not talking about "snatching away" children from parents because they are struggling. I really am losing the will to explain again, it's quite simple really.

It's because they spend all their benefits on fags and booze innit .

What a bloody ignorant OP

And I can confirm that I have to find at least £170 a month for my rent, hopefully less so when I get DLA, but I am awaiting reconsideration, and then probably appeal. I applied months and months ago, and the CHARITY who helped me fill out the form are shocked that when they considered me to be borderline high rate mobility and at least low rate care if not middle/high. Meanwhile I am scrabbling to keep heads afloat paying for the things I need DLA for, plus bills, plus excess rent - which went up because I moved to a private house from the completely unsuitable three storey home the council had me in.

must be like living on the edge bigjessie we just had milk tokens when mine were younger we didnt have the vouchers

I am saying that your poorly worded judgement of what you consider to be bad parents who shouldn't get charity support but have social services come along and do whatever it is you think they do are actually all people like me, who come from poor backgrounds, or make poor choices, or live with abusive people, or have addictions, and we are all mostly people who with a bit of help can actually go about making changes and learning to do better.

Sorry if that isn't clear. I'm not well right now.

You're losing the will? Good, because you're annoying me.

BTW, do you accept any Child Benefit to which you're entitled?

Re Healthy Start vouchers, to those who've mentioned them, I'd never heard of them so did a quick Google. I think it's important to point out that not everyone gets them, only those on low incomes/certain benefits with DC under the age of 5. The rest of those with children and on benefits are without this additional help.

What about rich families who don't feed their children properly - should their children be entitled to help from charities too?

Good point, Graham.

I hope you feel better very soon Rabbits.

Charities start by feeding hungry children and then help them with other issues in their lives. In many cases it is preferable to help children stay with their parents than to put them in care.

I agree charities shouldn't have to do it. But the state doesn't so thank God they do.

Like maisie215 I heard this topic being discussed on R4 this morning. I agree you should switch stations.

yes healthy start is just for under5s sadly more children and families should be able to get them