OH thinks no kids are left hungry?!!

[ihate2020]

I've joined the cook4kids over the half term in our area.

Oh is pissed of about it and thinks the parents that collect the lunch boxes I've made up are just out to get a freebie and I should spend the money on our own kids

AIBU to say he is a delunsional idiot?

narcdad45 you are either a liar or incredibly naive.

The "five week" figure is the official figure which appears on basically every single source out there, including CAB and several gov.uk websites (for example for local councils). But according to you they are ALL wrong? And people should just ignore them and listen to you instead?

Unless you personally know every single UC claimant or have the inside track on every single council in the country, there's simply no way for you to know how long it's taking in every area. So it's a ludicrous and obviously illogical statement.

Besides the statement that you can apply for Universal Credit and receive money the very next day is clearly not based on earth logic. What do you think they use Owl Post? It takes at least a week for the form to be received through the post and processed!

@froggygoneonakillingspree I think you are getting confused.

There are no forms to complete via owl post, pigeon post or otherwise. It is an ONLINE benefit, UC will not send out forms to apply for UC

I can confidently state that advances on UC CAN be the next working day as long as certain criteria is met, and no, I do not claim to know ALL claimants, but what I can tell you, is over my career I've dealt with many, many thousands of claims, working with vulnerable families and dealing with the benefit system.

By all means though, do continue to get advise from the people you know as they obviously know more 👍

I am not getting advice from "people I know."

I am recounting the OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT POLICY as stated on official government websites, and the websites of numerous official and charitable organisations such as CAB and Shelter, among dozens more.

You claim that the government and all these different organisations are wrong and/or lying. Every single one of them. That people should believe you - a random on the Internet - over a wealth of official information and numerous sources, on nothing more than "because I say so."

Do you have a single shred of evidence to back up your assertion that the government and a dozen official bodies are all for some bizarre reason lying that there's a 5 week wait?

Incidentally you seem to be getting confused between regular UC, and the Universal Credit Advance which is a loan given out in exceptional circumstances, which has to be paid back. (Surprised you don't know that.)

Obviously if you apply for an advance, it'll arrive earlier. That's the entire point of an advance. That's literally what the word "advance" means.

But your earlier statement wasn't about the UC Advance loan, it was about regular UC applications. You said that anyone claiming to have waited five weeks after submitting a standard non-advance Universal Credit application is "telling porkies" and that it's "completely false" that anyone has to wait five weeks. That statement completely contradicts all the government information.

@ghds

I live in an area with a lot of food bank usage I happen to know a few families that regularly use them. but I have to say I do agree with there's definitely an element of something for nothing with a lot of people that use food banks etc. and often they definitely don't need it as i know one mother who has the latest mobile phone with over £50 per month contract, sky tv, a holiday abroad each year etc. I know this person quite well and she brags about not having to buy any food shopping which helps her afford all her luxurys in life. she is on benefits and is much better off than me but i manage to feed my own children.

Col story, bro.

You do know you need to be referred to a foodbank and there is a limit of 3 visits a year? Have you seen what they put in a food pacel? It's tins of beans, rice pudding and a box of cereal. It's meant to last for 3 days so even if she got a parcel weekly she would need to buy food.

If she is better off than you on benefits then there is something wrong, you can also claim UC when you are working which would top your income up to a higher level.

You do know you need to be referred to a foodbank and there is a limit of 3 visits a year?
That's not true of all foodbanks. Some don't need a referral and you can use them as often as you need to. There's one in my town like that, I've used it myself.

@MootingMirror of course you’ll get slammed for it because it’s an opinion not a fact but you’ve dressed it up with the authority of ‘we’re governors’ as if it’s fact. I’m intrigued as to how you have successfully gathered data on parents income and their spending that contravenes all other date and research into the cost of living and the living wage? Also the high level of individuals attending food banks and why they’re there. Of course you haven’t garnered any such information. Instead you despise a certain kind of person (poor) and have made grand sweeping statements based on nothing to illustrate their feckless natures that are undeserving on empathy. This is just your dad and mean confirmation bias. Not only is it nasty it’s stupid. It’s that arrogant middle class stupid that is particularly patronising and galling. Do better. You are ridiculous.

Show him this thread by Lewis Goodall

Absolutely!

Have my first LTB. If he bothered to do some research, he would see how bad child poverty has become under the tory government. Op other help educate himself or honestly leave him as clearly your values do not match.

It needs to go further than FSM. I was on FSM in the 80s we were poor, DF had lost his job, got depressed and didn't work for 8 years. We lived in a council 3 bed house on benefits but were never hungry.
Fast forward to 2015 I was a single parent in a 3 bed privately rented house, benefit cap meant I suddenly had to top up my rent by £450 ! a month (In SE) I had to rely on credit cards. If I hadn't of worked before becoming a single parent and had a good credit rating I wouldn't of had a credit card to fall back on, and don't know how I would of managed. Now my youngest has stated school it has changed my circumstances but that was 5 very tough years (and debt).

Either not other

Reading a lot of these comments, I'm starting to wonder if there might be a few Tory MP's on here trying to pass themselves off as teachers, social workers and food bank volunteers etc. The people I've spoken to who work in these roles have been shocked and horrified by the poverty and desperation that some families experience and wouldn't dream of trying to argue against free school meals for children in the holidays.

That’s very funny

I give up now. A lot of you can’t seem to get away from blame the government, make the food, ignore the problem, make myself feel better. It’s sad but not unexpected. Do get a job or volunteer in public services as I said in my first post if you feel this passionate. Come and help! If nothing else then some good will come out of this.

Reading some of these comments has really made my day.

As a 'softie liberal snowflake' I get a lit of stick on social media for my views but, this thread proves that I'm far from alone and the MootingMirrorrs are not the norm ...

The trouble with MootingMirrors and their like is that they've never lived it, not even close. They've only ever seen and judged and viewed it from their comfortable spot on the highest of high horses.

If you don't truly see, without judgment, what the lives of people in poverty is like then you cant ever begin to make any changes that will genuinely help to solve the problem... that's why we have Tories saying 'reduce benefits, sanctions, benefit caps' - force the feckless and lazy out to work.

THAT DOES NOT WORK.

It just makes people more demoralised, more depressed, more anxious.

The government's idea of fixing this is make them poorer and send them on CV writing courses! Repeatedly!

A young person I was mentoring, had several traumas within her last year of A levels (bereavement, finding her sister unconscious from an undiagnosed heart issue & dealing with 999 and then 6 weeks later a man was exposing himself outside the family home before trying to break in). She just about passed her A levels and was meant to be going to uni but then suffered a mental breakdown which resulted in her being suicidal and on medication - at this point, in an ideal world she'd have received counselling, lots of it and been supported. Instead, the wait for therapy was 18 months - all her friends had gone off to uni and she was left behind with no uni, no job, no friends and very little money - certainly not enough to pay for private therapy. Driving lessons would have helped her too, as would confidence building, first aid training (part of her anxiety was around not knowing what to do when she found her sister) but instead, the DWP just sent her on not one but 5! 'How to write a CV' courses - they did this so that they could say X Amount of young people aren't 'unemployed' they're in training - pure figures manipulation.

When she eventually did get therapy, it was limited to 6 sessions. You get 6 sessions (essentially 5 after the assessment) then you go back on the waiting list unless your years of trauma are miraculously fixed ... it was suggested that she get a dog, for company, to help get her out of the house - so now all her sparse benefits are mainly spent on the dog because dogs are expensive and she eats very little herself.

I'm now rambling so I'll draw this to a close but, to say to the heartless... stop judging. Stop assuming. Stop thinking about how YOU would do xyz because what's easy for you isn't for everyone. Take the time to be kind to those you see struggling, find out their story and how they got there.

Mooting Mirror I completely agree with the posts you have made. Agreed the food should be fed directly to the children. But also the Government should start reviewing the policies regarding Social Services and vulnerable children. So often we read of instances where our communities and the system have failed these children. A member of my family has had a child returned to them, when she would have been far better of living with the in laws who has been her guardians for the two year prior.

@froggygoneonakillingspree I've re read what I said in my post about it doesn't take 5 weeks (as yes, depending on the assessment period it could / does). What I should of stated is that once you've applied online and verified yourself, you can apply for an advance payment for the next working day (same day sometimes depending on time of day applied).
The advance system was put in place for those in dire need, which is what this thread is about.

Of course it's a loan! it's paid back at a minimal amount over a period of time interest free, it would still put food on the table for families in desperate need, no owl post involved.

In peak pandemic they also operated on a trust and protect system which meant people didn't even have to provide evidence, this resulted in millions & millions of pounds in fraudulent claims.

@Elfblossom

Reading some of these comments has really made my day.

As a 'softie liberal snowflake' I get a lit of stick on social media for my views but, this thread proves that I'm far from alone and the MootingMirrorrs are not the norm ...

The trouble with MootingMirrors and their like is that they've never lived it, not even close. They've only ever seen and judged and viewed it from their comfortable spot on the highest of high horses.

If you don't truly see, without judgment, what the lives of people in poverty is like then you cant ever begin to make any changes that will genuinely help to solve the problem... that's why we have Tories saying 'reduce benefits, sanctions, benefit caps' - force the feckless and lazy out to work.

THAT DOES NOT WORK.

It just makes people more demoralised, more depressed, more anxious.

The government's idea of fixing this is make them poorer and send them on CV writing courses! Repeatedly!

A young person I was mentoring, had several traumas within her last year of A levels (bereavement, finding her sister unconscious from an undiagnosed heart issue & dealing with 999 and then 6 weeks later a man was exposing himself outside the family home before trying to break in). She just about passed her A levels and was meant to be going to uni but then suffered a mental breakdown which resulted in her being suicidal and on medication - at this point, in an ideal world she'd have received counselling, lots of it and been supported. Instead, the wait for therapy was 18 months - all her friends had gone off to uni and she was left behind with no uni, no job, no friends and very little money - certainly not enough to pay for private therapy. Driving lessons would have helped her too, as would confidence building, first aid training (part of her anxiety was around not knowing what to do when she found her sister) but instead, the DWP just sent her on not one but 5! 'How to write a CV' courses - they did this so that they could say X Amount of young people aren't 'unemployed' they're in training - pure figures manipulation.

When she eventually did get therapy, it was limited to 6 sessions. You get 6 sessions (essentially 5 after the assessment) then you go back on the waiting list unless your years of trauma are miraculously fixed ... it was suggested that she get a dog, for company, to help get her out of the house - so now all her sparse benefits are mainly spent on the dog because dogs are expensive and she eats very little herself.

I'm now rambling so I'll draw this to a close but, to say to the heartless... stop judging. Stop assuming. Stop thinking about how YOU would do xyz because what's easy for you isn't for everyone. Take the time to be kind to those you see struggling, find out their story and how they got there.

That's very sad, unfortunately the wait for mental health is very long and many are suffering because of this. But to suggest she get a dog when she can nearly feed herself is ridiculous! The DWP offer support in finding work and signposting to support organisations, not driving lessons.

What I should of stated is that once you've applied online and verified yourself, you can apply for an advance payment for the next working day (same day sometimes depending on time of day applied).

Fine but that's the exact opposite to what you originally said.

The point numerous posters made, which you objected to and claimed never happens, is the fact that the standard wait time between applying for regular non-advance UC and receiving the first payment, is five weeks. It IS five weeks, every single source says it's five weeks, and this is what you wrongly called a lie and claimed that anyone who said they had to wait five weeks is "telling porkies."

Bringing up the fact that under certain extreme circumstances people can apply for a loan in advance of starting to receive UC is just derailing.

Also, I'm not claiming to be an expert but the gov.uk advice page says you can't apply for a UC advance unless you've already had an in-person meeting at the job centre, which I imagine takes some time. If you've never been on benefits before you can't just go online, fill in a form, and have money in your account the same day.

And the wait time for PIP can be many months, which is just horrendous considering that disabled people statistically earn less, suffer higher unemployment (and many disabled people can't work or can work only limited hours) and often incur additional costs due to their medical/access needs.

^I'm willing to accept that perhaps the in-person requirement has been waived due to the pandemic and the gov.uk site has out of date information.

Make him go without dinner for a week.

@MootingMirror

DFIL is the Chair of Governors at a school in central London where there is a lot of food poverty etc and DH is a teacher (and I used to be one). I'll be honest even though I'll get slammed for it. Children are not going hungry unless their parents are either not applying for the help they're entitled to or the parents are not prioritising the children over their own needs. When lockdown kicked in, DFILs school gave out vouchers for school lunches - the vouchers weren't spent on food for the students and the vulnerable children (who still attended school) turned up without lunches. (The canteen was closed which is why the vouchers were given out instead of them getting the meals at school). The school then handed out food parcels to the families instead of the vouchers and the students STILL came in without food because it was sold/swapped for other things. It got to the point where the very vulnerable children who came to school had the canteen reopened (in a limited capacity) and the school had staff going door-to-door handing out food to students and watching them open it so it couldn't be sold or traded elsewhere. Food is cheap in this country, benefits have been raised, schools have provisions for pupil premium students - some parents do not care. What you're doing will help hungry children but those children are hungry because of their parents.

I agree with this entirely. I can't believe the posters rushing on to slam the post with defensive aggressiveness. It's a GIVEN that it's not the children's fault, not ever their fault. Can we get past that now?

It IS the responsibility of parents to provide for their children and anybody who doesn't believe that ought not to have them. Are people really disputing that?

Food for children is a priority and most parents, most people without children even, would agree. Adults do have access to money and for whatever reason, if that is being spent elsewhere, with their children going hungry then that is wrong.

As it is, there are many people taking steps to provide food for children so that they don't go hungry. Nobody wants children to be hungry and thank fuck that there are people who actively do something about it.

Parents who do not provide for their children should be assisted to do so, by whatever means - or if and when that fails, the children need to be removed so that they have half a chance of a decent upbringing. Because children deserve to be looked after.

I would prefer to see the schools providing the food directly. Breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea clubs if necessary, including during holidays. At least that way, the food is going to the kids.

While it is not the answer to poverty, I would also like to see an army of thrifty cooks deployed into the schools and communities to teach people to cook nutritiously and cheaply. Most people could learn to make porridge, for example, which before I get jumped on, is my daily breakfast.

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe amen

and when that fails, the children need to be removed so that they have half a chance of a decent upbringing. Because children deserve to be looked after

And who’s going to look after them if they’re removed? And who’s going to pay for it? Do people engage their brains at all before they spout this nonsense?

@VinylDetective

and when that fails, the children need to be removed so that they have half a chance of a decent upbringing. Because children deserve to be looked after

And who’s going to look after them if they’re removed? And who’s going to pay for it? Do people engage their brains at all before they spout this nonsense?

Are you ok with leaving children in neglectful homes? If you read Witch's post she says "Parents who do not provide for their children should be assisted to do so, by whatever means" before the bit you quoted. If someone cannot take care of a child even with help provided, it's not in the best interest of child to stay, is it.