one and a half million neglected children in uk

[Longlost10]

Action for children chugger in the shopping mall this afternoon, tried to convince me that there are one and a half million neglected children in the uk, relying on charity donations for education and medical care.

can't get my head round that.

I think me skepticism offended him, but I didn't find anything he said convincing...

AIBU? or is it true?

Its not absurd. You have to have ways to measure these things, they might seem arbitrary to you but they aren't. If you don't define it, you can't even begin to tackle it.

And yes, "the left" just loves to see child poverty rise. I mean it was them with the bedroom tax, slashing of welfare, cuts to all services....wait no, it wasn't!

Those chuggers (apologises if anybody on here works as one) will say anything to get people to sign up... It's all part of their marketing techniques. As pp have said, the use of 'neglect' has been used loosely!!

But if they're on about poverty, that's not neglect - some people have little choice but to live in poverty. In fact parents would rather go without to feed and dress their children.

As for costs for 'medical care and education' isn't that why we have the NHS and state education?

As for costs for 'medical care and education' isn't that why we have the NHS and state education?

And we still have unequal access to both, which is one reason why those in poverty are less healthy and less educated.

YY Not a mummy 10 I have painful memories regarding feeding dd and not myself

bite Yes, I agree you have to define it- however, I'm not sure I'd subscribe to the current definition (of poverty)

I think the left has charges to answer in terms of dependency. I don't agree with everything the Tories did; but I'm convinced that history will judge IDS much less harshly than Mumsnet do.

Really? Higher illness rates, higher death rates, lower educational attainment, lower life expectency, children who don't get breakfast, children in the Uk malnourished, illiteracy, depression, addiction....all linked to childhood poverty, thats not much to worry about?

you haven't read what I said, I didn't say childhood poverty is nothing to worry about, I said these poverty figures are nothing to worry about, because they are meaningless, and refer to people who are not poor at all, speaking as someone who has recently spent 12 years technically "below the breadline" whilst the kids suffered no deprivation at all

children who don't get breakfast, children in the Uk malnourished,

these, though, I would definitely relate to neglect, not poverty, there is no need for it, other than parental disinterest.

So you know they aren't in poverty, even though the government says they are, barnardos say they are, the LSE says they are, child poverty action group say they are....? You should call them all, they'll be so glad to know that you know better!

Did you miss the bit where it says below X a week AND missing basic necessities?

I know what the definition of poverty is, as I said, we fitted the definition of "below the bread line" for 12 years. The "basic necessities" referred to are not necessities at all, normal things to want, but not things you need, such as meat twice a week, a dressing gown, washing machine, etc, there is a whole list, and if you can't afford a certain number of them, you are "below the breadline" - the exact list, and the number you have to not be able to afford varies, but some are extravagant luxuries, such as a car, or a night out once a month, or that sort of thing. With those lists you have to be able to not afford a large number to count as "below the breadline" but just fulfilling the criteria means you count on statistics, but doesn't actually in itself make you deprived in any way.

I can believe it. I work in my local town centre, and I've seen some horrible things just people watching during quiet periods.
The worst was probably a little boy of around 9yo dressed in shorts and t-shirt who came into our shop to get warm after being turned out by his mother at 5.30am when she returned from a night out with some bloke. It was February.
We gave him some food and a hot chocolate in the office and called the police.
It goes on more than you'd think and it's horrible.

My XH left the picture when DS was 4, and DS turned 18 last week.

I have never received a penny from XH, but DS has what he needs (and has benefitted from more than a few wants, too). It hasn't always been easy, but here we are - so even using "no support from NRP" as a benchmark is questionable at best.

Again, so glad you know better than all the experts. Call the Daily Mail, they'll love i: "Poor people not actually poor!"

I had a chugger at the door for a kids charity re poverty. I explained that as a sahm with 4dc, two of them long term in scbu an hour away i was pretty poor myself at the time. His unbelievable answer was "but I mean REAL poverty, where kids are going without because parents are spending all their money on smoking, drinking and taking drugs". Still makes me fucking angry over a year later

bite, most people, including many experts, know full well the figures are a silly nonsense, particularly the relative ones, and including many posters on here who have given details about why it is a nonsense, such as pointing out than when the average income nosedives, comparative poverty levels rapidly decrease too,

and repeatedly telling people they are poor isn't exactly helpful either. It can create such a misplaced sense of entitlement, and aggreivance.

Boop, that is really really sad, I don't know what difference charity money can make in such a case, though.

what would you call poor, bite?

Really Malice? You think?

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/28/universal-credit-payments-delays-loans

From the comments.

"I fear that this is only the tip of Imogen's Universal Credit iceberg. You see... I have been working with a zero-hours contract and claiming Universal Credit since the end of September 2015. UC failed to pay me until December, and even then it was only after I was threatened with eviction by the council for non-payment of rent. To top that I was then threatened with sanctions, and when I cried and said they would end up making me homeless, my work coach's response was, and I quote: "Don't be so damn melodramatic!" Since then I have been mucked about every single month, and not ONE payment has turned up on time. They have made me so ill I was sent home from work with dizzy spells on Boxing Day as a 'health and safety hazard' and have been signed off sick with anxiety and depression since mid-January. There is no end in sight, and I m now so ill I can't even leave the house alone. I want help but everything is a fight, and I don't have the strength to keep fighting. They lie to my face in interviews, and they assume I am lying or making excuses every time I open my mouth, and then they wonder why I have trust issues where they are concerned. I have had close to a nervous breakdown in the job centre and was then forced to attend another appointment because I "wasn't fully engaged in the previous meeting". I wasn't fully engaged because I was crying my heart out, while cuddling their water jug, trying not to vomit into it. I could tell you more but it makes me ill just thinking about it. I have gone from an independent self-reliant woman to someone who can't even make a cup of tea unaided! I hope this doesn't happen to Imogen, I really do! "

If there aren't high levels of poverty why are so many people having to use food banks in 2016?

I don't understand why anyone would deny the existence of severe poverty just because it's not their experience.

What is with this place and 'it's never happened to me therefore it doesn't happen to others either'?

what would you call poor, bite?

I use the definitions of poverty set out by people who are experts at doing just that. I wouldn't be so arrogant as to set out to define my own.

Severe poverty exists, just because you did ok with little cash doesn't change that fact one iota.

Really what?

Helena I think people who impose unnecessary sanctions and leave others on the brink should be made to live in poverty for a few weeks and see how they like it.
Call me daft stupid or anything you like but I believe in Karma and I hope it bites them on the bum.
There was an awful thread last night started by a stirring goady twat which stated why do people on benefits not clean their houses on some such inflamatory shite.
MNHQ jumped on it post haste and good for them.

Boop, in the situation you have described I would have had the police straight out for a welfare check of the boy's home situation. They would have taken him straigh into protective custody and rightly so.

I actually think 1.5 million children is pretty conservative go en the numbers of kids in this country.

Either by parental neglect or lack of money it's pretty easy to see how kids can be neglected.

Alfie we did call the police, straightaway. But first we took him away from the shop floor away from gawkers. We have him something to eat and drink while we waited. They did indeed take him into protective custody.

gave him