Workfare scheme for loan parents of children as young as 3, as of next month.

[WaterLoadaCack]

kept that quiet didnt they

Good old YTS. Proof right there that the whole thing will be a cock-up.

Blue sky. Thats really interesting. Im ignorant to knowing it had been done before.
Why was it stopped?
What was the public perception?
And why is it being trotted out again if its already been proven not to work?

African - I agree with your sentiment here "Personally I think it should be a criminal offence to not support your children and you should go to jail for it. And possibly get the snip free of charge..."
Women are not only left to pick up the pieces but then have politics screwing up what little options are left to them. The men can father as many kids in this way as they like with relatively little impact on them at all.
I wasn't suggesting throwing the fathers into jail at all. How about re-possessing that audi so that your 2 sons can actually eat the recommended daily allowance? Or making companies that pay workers off the books so that CSA can't find a money trail face prosecution for the tax they are avoiding at the same time? A few dozen of publicised accounts of this and I suspect a swarm of payments would suddenly start flowing in to the CSA and a large proportion of the families at the lowest end of our societal spectrum would be picked up substantially. It doesn't take much or our politicians to do (simply asking CSA to use powers they already have and make it public), but the male voter is just too important to them.

Ah. Otherwise known as yts scheme. I see.

Then why to people like heis ( and my mother) buy into it?

I did actually have a takeaway last night.
See? Feckless.

Although I saved half of it and I'm going to have it for tea tonight.
That's batch-cooking that is.

I got to page 8, and people still hadn't cottoned on to this being an April fool. MN is going downhill.

An April fool?

Oh really Womble?

Look here

It'd womble's brain that's gone down hill.

What a condescending post.

Is there some kind of sneering convention in progress? So much bloody rudeness today.

Time to walk the dog until my blood pressure comes back down

WOMBLE - I think most of us, who have been here for years, pretty much know what people are going to say.

1. the ones who think its disgusting that women dont stagger out of the maternity ward straight back to work "why should I support these wasters when I work"
2. Those who think anyone who is a lone parent/poor has in some way "brought it on themselves" - oblivious to the fact that they have had a priviliedged upbringing (parent supported them through uni, nice little car when they passed their test.....)
3. Those who think "why should I work - how disgusting some of you leave your children just to get holidays and nice cars

I could go on but honestly after all these years im hoping its a new influx of posters rather than the same ones who have learnt nothing - the truth of the matter being that for most people things are not so black and white.

Another link Start date Aril 2014. No joke.

April fool or not it shows we still have a long way to go before men and women are treated fairly when it comes to lone parenting.

Needs - I think people buy into it because it isnt ideal that some people choose not to work but maintain a reasonable way of life supported by the tax payer. I have friends who say "I will just get a little extra help with...." they are too dumb to understand that their living comes straight out of the taxpayers wage packets.

I think unfortunately this scheme will not work for those people - what it will do is persecute people who are perhaps already struggling and not happy with the way their life is going (those who care and do have standards but due to a bump in lifes road are not in a good place) The feckless "why shouldnt I stay at home when I get paid more" types will not care and are generally not really employable anyway in an environment where employers can pick and choose.

It will just mean eventually that we end up being served by resentful rude unprofessional staff in shops - thinking back to the ridiculous experience that was my last visit to the poundstretcher (backchatting lads "I cant be in two places at once " and the gang shelf stacking who were shouting and mucking about) - I seriously hope they were not employing these staff...they were apalling!!!!!

The reason these ideas keep being trotted out is because the Conservative MPs trotting it out were all at Eton and Harrow when it happened last time so not living in the real world where it failed last time

It's not a joke. A quick google shows people have been worrying about it since December. How funny that it doesn't make it to anywhere visible? So not only do they fuck everybody over, they do it out of the blue.

Here's a conundrum for the frothers.

I had a takeaway (and a grape-based beverage) last night as we were celebrating.
XDH has finally got a full time job. It's taken 2 years and it's minimum wage but he's chuffed to bits. I couldn't be happier for him. It's a shit job compared to what he's qualified for and experienced at but that's not the point. He needs it, not just for the money, but for himself. For his self-esteem his sense of self-worth, to finally feel like a functional member of society.

The problem is we now need to sort out childcare. As I said before, DS can't go to a nursery or CM. (Despite there apparently being an affordable one on every corner). I don't have numerous non-working/shift-working friends I can FB for help. So that leaves us with our pensioner parents.

XDH's mum has just had a hip-replacement, is severely asthmatic, diabetic and has ulcerated legs. My dad has cancer.

I work 2 days a week so they have agreed to do one day each. None of us know how they will cope with a 2yo with ASD for 10 hours straight. We also don't know if DS will cope being away from us for that long. He's also at the start of the ASD assessment process so will have numerous appointments to attend.

If any of those spinning plates drop how exactly am I going to pick it up? My work are already really arsey about my part-time hours and never miss an opportunity to tell me how much of an inconvenience it is. I'm already sidelined for new projects and completely ignored for any advancement opportunities.

In 2 years I've had one day off because XDH broke a rib. It's still on my file incase it 'becomes a pattern'.

So what's the genius plan? What's the simple solution that I'm willingly not seeing? I'm also dying to know which part of any of this was my choice.

The truly feckless will just fence more stolen goods/deal more drugs to make up for the loss of any benefit income. It's children of decent lone parents who will/are suffering.

I think African Export had it spot on - our boys are going to grow up with an appalling attitude towards personal responsibility if we do not take care. I'm NOT happy for wider society to give my son the impression he can sow his seed willy nilly all over the place without having to take any responsibility whatsoever for the children this produces. Men need to learn kids are not commodities than can be ignored or replaced if you get a bit bored with their Mum, and fancy a different model for a while. Our daughters deserve a better future than this too!

I'm feeling bitter as had to turn down that zero hours contract even though it was for a role I really, really wanted to do. The lack of entitlement to working tax credits was the clincher for me. Will now investigate opportunities to volunteer to do exactly the same thing over the next few weeks.

But you wont be able to keep that volunteering up if it interfers with your workfare. The sanctions are up to 100%of benefit for non compliance.

randall. You hope. And thats all you can do. Because there isnt really a lot of other options..

part time working does also suck. Just picking up on your ' being overlooked and generally made to feel like you are an inconvenience'
Im 36. Ive just been looked over in favour of a 17 year old who doesnt even have A levels, for a ' training' position. I used to be part of education and workforce development both for the NHS and the MOD.However, these skills are not as important as the ability to be 100% flexiable and work all the hours god sends at the drop of a hats notice. That 17 year old will now get a pay rise and, in a year or so, will be being paid more than me. Its Galling.

Says a lot though that the idea of it being a joke is believable.

This government is a fucking joke. A sick one.

Cory - I live in a block of flats with no garden and Im able to childmimd if I want. I think you would be surprised that they dont mind.

Yep, part-timers are most definitely second class citizens in the workplace. Every time an opportunity comes up I'm told my hours make me unsuitable. All our targets are set with full-time hours in mind. They are impossible to hit if you do anything less.

Every one of the direct line managers I've had has praised me no end, told me how impressed they are with my work and how self-sufficient and self-motivated I am. They have all commented on how I take it on myself to keep up to date with changes and how hard I work to keep myself in the loop.

It makes no difference. On paper I am average at best. I work half the hours therefore I am half as valuable. The people who are recognised and promoted are the ones who do the overtime. The more hours you do the more likely you are to hit your targets. It's as simple as that.

Needsmorecake - Its a shame some areas are so backwards with provision. Here surestart nurseries are even open on weekends. Many nurseries do 7am-7pm with childminders doing overnights the works etc. It is crazy its not like this everywhere.

So what do you suggest for me Heis?
You seem to think it's easy and those of us who are saying it isn't are just making excuses.

If there's always a way what's my way?

ah, yes, the mythical place you live in.
care to shed any light on that at all?

randall - indeed. cant do the hours. cant to the socializing either. No after work drinks bonding, no boozy weekends. Doesnt help.