Re: free school meal vouchers

[Hadenoughofitall441]

My mum works in a local supermarket, she told me today that at least 6 of the kids parents from dd 7 and DS 12 school came in to use them but spent them on alcohol. Now let me know if I’m being unreasonable but I find this totally out of order. She said it’s been happening last week aswell.
She said the cards have the kids names on so she knew what they were. She too is disgusted by this but obviously can’t say anything because it’s at work. One of the other customers said he thought it was wrong too.

I also see frequent reports of children relying on FSM (in normal times) for their only hot meal of the day. Is this accurate? Do plenty of households really not have access to an oven/hob/microwave (or the funds to run them - surely not a lot for the latter two?) and do the adults of the family only ever have cold food?

And yes, some households don’t have access to enough electric gas to feed their kids, some don’t have enough money to feed their kids at all, some parents have significant mental health problems and struggle with the executive planning needed to buy food and plan meals, some families literally live hand to mouth, some parents are unable or unwilling to care for their children. Some parents don’t eat themselves so their children get something during the day. It’s very hard to understand the levels of poverty some folk live with in the UK.

For some children the meal they get at school is the only food they will get all day, hot or otherwise. It’s important that kids who are entitled to free school meals have some provision when school isn’t on, for some parents that £15/20 they get will be their whole shopping budget for the week. Hence me accepting the voucher and donating the value to food banks, where it will do some good as opposed to me not claiming it and it remaining in government coffers.

Incredible the way some posters justify their actions. It's ok because I spent my money on what these vouchers are for, so it's ok to use these for the alcohol I would have otherwise bought.

All the time we read as such people are vilified for using what should be purely to help children for their own adult luxuries, because it never happens. Well it clearly does.

If you can afford to buy food for your family without these, even if it means you have to forgo your alcohol, you don't need them in the first place. So annoyed that there will be people who really struggle, wondering how they are going to get milk, yet others are wasting these funds on alcohol.

Not everyone 'claims' these vouchers. In my council area these are sent automatically to anyone who gets free school meals. The vouchers we get have to be taken to a paypoint, handed in and redeemed for cash. Why should people make a point of buying lunch items for their child if they already have that stuff in. So food can go to waste? So they can be like panic buyers...buying more food than they need? Do they really have to buy something specifically for a child at that exact time. When they already used their money to get everything in. Maybe they are keeping in mind the value of the vouchers for next time they go shopping to buy a slightly better bread than last or more expensive fruit.

Maybe they were nipping up to buy a bottle of wine regardless of if they received the vouchers. Maybe it was the first time they had got out due to self isolating and they were buying alcohol as a thank you gift for a local nurse or someone who had been shopping for them. Maybe, maybe not. I don't know. You don't know. If the children are being fed thats all that matters. Even if they are buying themself a bottle of wine that they couldn't afford last time they went shopping so their child could eat. Is that really such a horrific thing to do?

Pretty poor form for your mum to be identifying her customers and their purchases to you

Yes, there should be a confidentiality clause lol.

Op, my first thought when these vouchers came out was that some parents would not prioritise feeding their kids with the money. It may be many have already enough food for them, but there is no doubt some children are in neglected homes, are abused and their parents will indeed use the money for themselves as and when they see fit.

Why should people make a point of buying lunch items for their child if they already have that stuff in. So food can go to waste? So they can be like panic buyers...buying more food than they need?
If you don't need them, then don't use them at all. Use them when you need them again!

What are these vouchers? My children are entitled to fsm and I've not been told about these? They were entitled to pick up a grab bag each school day until easter hols though.

The ones I get expire within 5 days of being sent. Can't just save them. Personally I am cashing them in and saving the money because there's a chance my company will not survive this and I will desperately need money in the future. Otherwise I will donate the money. But just because they get cashed in and I buy something that day not specifically for my child it wouldn't mean I was choosing not to feed my child.

I think it depends on your council and probably country too notenoughchocolate. Look up your council website for updates.

The big herd have a quick use by date - the ones my LA use expire after 1 week - this is so they know week to week how much the scheme will cost and can draw down the money from the Scottish government. It’s better to cash them in quickly and use/keep the money than to leave the voucher siting because it helps the local authority plan their finances.

It’s entirely possible the voucher might expire before someone was due to do a proper food shop again.

Big heard = voucher 🙄

Don't know what our school is doing haven't heard anything but I do know that I got a shop delivered last night that cost me over £100, yes I do qualify however not all families who receive fsm are in the same position, I cook every meal from scratch. I barely drink and then only at home so the cost is minimal, I never go out. I have a decent wardrobe, I don't have or need a car so no expenses there and live in a owned outright home that is in good condition. I know I'm not in the same position as another person and so long as the children are fed then it doesn't matter to me which part of the budget things come from. If a parent prioritises food then gets the voucher and uses them for extra nice things then so what, I'd be more worried if a parent felt that they had to hold off shopping till they received the voucher risking the children going hungry for a day or 2 because they felt they couldn't use money earmarked for something else then replace that when the voucher came. There was no alcohol in that food shop by the way,

I think it’s worrying that so many people on here are reacting in disbelief. I work in a very challenging school and we have many families who struggle with alcoholism and other addictions and where social services are involved. Sending vouchers is easier - but for the reason given by the OP we would definitely have preferred as a school to provide meals that can be picked up or delivered. Some people are very naive on here to think the OP is talking nonsense.

Didn’t happen.
But even if it did - let’s say the weekly food budget was £40 to include 1x bottle of wine for mum.
With food vouchers it might now be up
£50 to include 1x bottle of wine for mum.
As long as additional food is being bought (perhaps in a cheaper supermarket) what’s the hassle?? The same money increase of money would still be reaching the kids for food.

But again - didn’t happen.

Sending vouchers is easier - but for the reason given by the OP we would definitely have preferred as a school to provide meals that can be picked up or delivered.

Except there are problems with that where parents then need to come to school to pick up meals - those who are struggling aren’t likely to make the journey, especially if they have one child who is entitled to fsm and others who aren’t or where children are placed out of catchment.

A limited voucher that excluded tobacco and alcohol would be idea, but there still no guarantee the money would reach children who needed it most.

£50 to include 1x bottle of wine for mum
So 1/10th of the food shopping spent on wine that doesn't benefit the kids.

Next we will get the usual threads 'I can't feed my kids vegetables because they are too expensive compared to chips and chicken nuggets, it's not my fault they are fat'.

If your weekly food budget includes wine, you don't need a top up and you are basically stealing resources from others who do need them.

The sense of entitlement of some people is astonishing. Of course you are free to buy wine and luxury, but it means you don't need financial help if you can afford to.

It only proves the system is so wrong and need a complete overhaul.
Knowing how screwed up the economy will be when this is all over, people who abuse the system can expect huge changes. Sadly the ones who will be in real need will be the ones suffering.

Really? Don't they have restrictions on what they can be used for.

Do people genuinely believe this didn’t happen ? I believe the op . There are some really crap parents out there . The social workers wouldn’t be so overworked if that wasn’t the case .
Unfortunately when you try to help everyone there will always be those who take advantage of the situation . To those bragging about spending their vouchers on alcohol. Grow up !

A limited voucher that excluded tobacco and alcohol would be idea

and can't be resold! I am amazed that didn't exist already.

The state won't have the financial resources to be so frivolous about public help. Funds might be directed to various pots, but the source is the same. A country who can't afford decent protection to key workers is sponsoring people's wine and luxuries. Brilliant. And people wanted to vote labour.

Those who are policing exactly what FSM funding should be spent on, do you withdraw your child benefit each week/fortnight/month and spend it exactly on your child's needs there and then?

This isn't a case of people worrying kids are doing without, for most it's a case of people still insisting that those in receipt of 'benefits' should be penniless after the bare essentials.

Hence me accepting the voucher and donating the value to food banks

Yep I'm sure that happened

If that was the case why not say "I received a voucher I didn't want or need so instead of using it I just donated it to the food bank"

You didn't say that. You said you used it for wine and sweets because you'd already bought your children food (again - well done you).

Then added the food bank bit in after.

Trying to be goady, basically.

If people in Scotland who don't need it actually give the voucher straight to food banks then fair enough. But I don't see why anyone would cash it in when they don't need to.

There have been a few nuggets like that on this thread.

Except this month the schools closed and so Jane has to purchase extra food for lunches at home that her children would normally get at school. She had to use her treat budget of £10.

Fucking shock horror. Poor Jane having to use her £10 treat money (aka wine money) on the children she decided to have. My heart really bleeds for her.

Lol do naive people on Mumsnet really think people don't do things like this that everyone is an angel.

So working parents whose children get the free school meals in KS1 and 2 are penalised once again. Very unfair that they aren't given the option of having vouchers too, seeing as some are clearly being used when they're not actually needed.

Lol do naive people on Mumsnet really think people don't do things like this that everyone is an angel.

People on Mumsnet are skewed middle class.

If they don't see it - it doesn't happen.

Meanwhile everyone I know in my ex-mining shithole knows someone fiddling the system.

I know how much benefits are compared to the rents around here.

If people can't feed their children it's not due to lack of benefits it's due to them not giving a fuck.

And they're precisely the types of kids who have parents who'll use the voucher for fags and alcohol.

Around here a local youth centre have teamed up with an couple of ice cream vans and they stop at various places to hand out hot meals for children. It's run entirely on donations. The councils who can't be arsed with means testing should set up similar schemes and help those who actually need it.

The ones who need the help are the ones who won't be helped by these vouchers.

I need to show ID with my address to cash my vouchers. Maybe not the same in all councils but not so simple as to just give it to a food bank.

Of course there will be people who don't feed their kids and who's kids are in complete poverty. But that's a whole other AIBU and something to report on a forum way above mumsnet.

People who receive the vouchers are just explaining the circumstances that may have lead to them not being used for food on that exact day.

BTW not that it should be relevant to my point. Personally both my husband and I don't drink so never buy alcohol. You might see me at times buying filter coffee instead of a cheap instant. My kids don't drink coffee. If I get these vouchers should I avoid buying this at any time because it's not for my kids and since I'm entitled to vouchers according to opinions here I can't buy myself anything. Or is it just alcohol that's the issue?