To point out that this family ARE on benefits

[barbiecollector]

Not a benefit-bashing thread at all, but I hate how smug these big families are when they say they are not on benefits like they are superior to people who are. In fact, this family get £180 a week in Child Benefit!

Story here: Big family

False Economy did some facts and figures.
Proportion of entire welfare budget going to the unemployed is 3%

Proportion claimed fraudulently is 0.7%

So, just a few claiming fraudulently. Not as many as there are tax dodgers it would appear.

In the minority clouds.....you are right about that so why all the crappy propaganda in the media about them?

Could it be this Govt despises anyone who has to claim a single penny?

On that basis I am a scrounger then. I am a Carer to an autistic child. And too right I arrange my life round him and what I can claim in order to support him. This is after 30 years of tax paying employment......but to an outsider now I would appear a scrounger. Especially as you need to spend time with DS to appreciate how "different" he is and how much supervision he needs. An outsider would not know my work history.... They would just see a single parent (check), unemployed (check), benefits (check).

And thanks to the propaganda they now despise me....great innit?

and there are loads of jobs about,people need to be more willing to do things they maybe didnt plan on,or look further afield,there isevery chance most or all of them will be employed.

plus for every family with 10plus kids there are a dozen with one or even none.it all evens out.

JakeMullet, yeah, I am unemployed because of the recession first and foremost really, but the media and the government have invited people, and given them an appetite to hate me because I'm a single parent.

plus for every family with 10plus kids there are a dozen with one or even none.it all evens out.

Really? Where do you get that figure from, Amber? Not that it particularly matters I suppose.

I asked the diabetes question too, paella but she's not been back to clarify

I wasnt quoting it from anywhere,but how many families do you know with over 10 kids?and then how many do you know with less than two,and then how many who have decided not to have any?

I am unemployed... the media and the government have invited people, and given them an appetite to hate me because I'm a single parent.

That's what is upsetting. Small, single parent families get way less handouts than big families like this one, yet it is you guys who cop all the criticism.

Child benefit should be capped to a certain amount of kids - definitely

Tbh i think large families and single parents BOTH get an unfair amount of crap from the media and the government.

Im not against capping child benefit,but i honestly dont think it would make a huge difference,people who have 17 kids arent doing it for the child benefit!

Just as an aside. You can't get child benefit and income support. Child benefit is removed as 'money you already have coming in'.

9 loads of washing a day - and 100 items to iron?! I hate ironing 5 work shirts a week! Rather her than me.

17 children in one house! We would love this. The secret is a routine, all the benefits they could claim I hardly think the child benefit of £180 that doesn't even cover their food shop isn't bad one bit.

I take my hat off to them the children look happy, clean, well fed and loved. What more do children need? Now what about the children that don't get anything? They will be fostering when there nest is empty so carrying on doing the good job they are doing.

Just as an aside. You can't get child benefit and income support. Child benefit is removed as 'money you already have coming in'.

Since when ?

I never understand it when people make out they are doing the country a favour by having lots of kids as the country needs to maintain the population. I thought we were massively overpopulated? Insufficient housing, not enough jobs, lack of space etc etc. Surely we should be aiming to drive the population down?

Mosman
Always. It has never, ever been part of IS or any other benefit. It has always been removed.

But you can still get income support up to the level that the government say you need to live on can't you?

So your CB is counted as money you have coming in, but you can claim some income support of top of that.

That's how I thought it worked, but I'm happy to be corrected.

at all the people saying getting child benefit and pensions doesn't mean being on benefits!

You do all realise pensions are the principal reason the welfare bill has been increasing?

The pensions bill is skyrocketing as people live so much longer. That's why retirement age is being pushed up, potentially to 70-odd.

Actually when I looked into the cab/income support recently that isn't the case anymore. I spoke to gingerbread and citizens advice. Dp and I are fine now but went through a rough patch so in was checking out my options.

Child benefit always used to be deducted from income support and yes it was listed as " money you already have coming in" but I haven't had an income support letter included in a client file for ages so wouldn't know if they still do but I just yelled at the lady in our office who does know these things and she just yelled back

" FFS I'm busy" so not much help really.

I agree with that Hammy. We are over populated.

With regards to the family in the op they seem happy and they don't say they claim tax credits, they may not bother as being self employed its often more hastle than its worth. I also doubt they would get £800 a week as someone said earlier in this thread.

It wasn't in 2000 I received both, as did my cousin guess we were just lucky