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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Free school meals and summer holidays

346 replies

McNewPants2013 · 19/07/2013 20:51

I was thinking about this today.

I will have an extra £10 per week dude to not paying for school meals, but if people are entitled to FSM I can see many families struggling to provide these extra meals at home.

Do you think that school canteens should open or the parents get extra money to cover the shortfall.

OP posts:
PresidentServalan · 20/07/2013 00:22

The families I know that have FSM have enough to feed and clothe themselves and their children. I know there will be exceptions but I really don't believe that all these children will go hungry.

TabithaStephens · 20/07/2013 00:23

If parents aren't feeding their kids than social services need to get involved.

ImNotBloody14 · 20/07/2013 00:23

Nobody said all of them president

Bogeyface · 20/07/2013 00:24

Why are you focussing on the parents?

I think that we all agree that a parent who buys 20 fags at £7 and then doesnt feed their child because "they cant afford it" is a shit parent. But FSM isnt about that. It it about making sure that a child, who has no control over the money in their household, has one decent meal a day.

Are you really saying that because a child has shit parents it should go hungry?

PresidentServalan · 20/07/2013 00:25

Then the children will go hungry. As pp have said there are cheap deals in supermarkets, particularly in the early evening, are the parents going without as well?? I'm guessing not.

ImNotBloody14 · 20/07/2013 00:26

And how will social services (even if they had the manpower to do it) know which families couldnt feed their dcs in order to get involved? They dont wear special badges to let people know they're struggling!

PresidentServalan · 20/07/2013 00:26

Not feeding your children is neglect surely? As Tabitha said, wouldn't that be a SS issue?

ImNotBloody14 · 20/07/2013 00:27

Ive gone without to feed my dcs. More than likely will have to again at some point. It's normal now for me.

ImNotBloody14 · 20/07/2013 00:28

Yes president and how will SS know to get involved?

PresidentServalan · 20/07/2013 00:28

I think we are focusing on the parents because its their responsibility to feed their children!

Bogeyface · 20/07/2013 00:29

Tabitha Do you know how much it costs for a child to be taken into care? In court costs alone it is far more per year than it is to provide that child with a decent meal.

And you are ignoring the fact that some parents dont have enough money. As I posted above, because we were paying a mortgage when my husband lost his job, we got no housing benefit. We were in negative equity so could not afford to sell our house so we had to meet our mortgage repayments out of our benefits. That meant that we had less money from our JSA and CTC to meet our bills and food budget. FSM were not the difference between our children eating or not, but dammit, it helped.

Bogeyface · 20/07/2013 00:31

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

annie987 · 20/07/2013 00:31

I'm not saying a child with shit parents should go hungry but shit parents should take responsibility for their own children. Having kids is not something that should be entered into lightly and as these shit parents know they will always be bailed out by the state then they have no reason to be anything but shit!

PresidentServalan · 20/07/2013 00:31

They won't necessarily but the same can be said of any situation which requires SS involvement. How do they know that they need to step in with most cases?

cheerfulweather · 20/07/2013 00:33

I'm glad some people will be helping at food banks and providing meals over the summer. Rather than the shrugging and 'it's the fault of the parents" mentality. That doesn't help those children who will need it.

I'm going to donate to my local foodbank, and having looked, the school holidays are stated as being one of their busiest times.

IneedAyoniNickname · 20/07/2013 00:34

I said on page 1 that I will most probably have to go without to feed my dc this summer.
But that's ok with me, I will always put them 1st.
When I worked out what my budget would ne for the year it was based on their dad paying maintenance, and even with that I could only save minimal amounts (all of which has since been used on shoes, clothes etc)
I didn't expect that he would stop paying it as he is now responsible for another man's children after he chose to move on with a woman he's just met. Apparently he can't afford to support all the dc, plus they are expecting a baby soon.
CSA have made a nil assessment based on what he told them. I'm fighting that.

PresidentServalan · 20/07/2013 00:35

Most parents are able to feed their children despite being financially on their arses. In fact most parents I know would feed their children regardless of what else needs paying.

Bogeyface · 20/07/2013 00:36

Annie so given that the children shouldnt suffer, and the parents wont take responsibilty, what is your solution?

annie987 · 20/07/2013 00:37

Neuter them

annie987 · 20/07/2013 00:37

The parents not the children!!

ImNotBloody14 · 20/07/2013 00:39

Neuter them- and that will feed the kids? Confused

Bogeyface · 20/07/2013 00:39

President and what would you have happen to the children of parents who cant or wont feed their children? Please bear in mind that a) there are not enough social workers or foster families as it is and b) it will cost far more to have those children in care than to provide them with a meal during the 13 weeks of school holidays.

annie987 · 20/07/2013 00:39

Food vouchers instead of cash benefits

Bogeyface · 20/07/2013 00:41

FUCK OFF!!!

Seriously? They are animals that should be neutered?! And then what? Feed their kids on their removed reproductive organs?!

WOW. that is something else!

PresidentServalan · 20/07/2013 00:42

All those people helping at food banks, fair play to you - you are helping to prevent the situation but my point is that it is not the Govt's problem - they provide fsm for the majority of the time.