To believe that providing free meals for children

[Completelyfrozen]

Is not enough!
I hear people saying that children shouldn't go hungry and I wholeheartedly agree. It is a travesty in 2020 that any child goes hungry, regardless of the reason behind it, but is that where our responsibility as a society ends?
I want to live in a society where children are provided with a hot meal every day.
A warm dry bed to sleep in at night.
Warm clean dry clothes.
Facilities to wash and brush their teeth.
Warm dry shoes.
An adequate education.
Opportunities to play and socialise.
A safe environment to grow up in.
A home free from damp or mould.
I want to live in a society where adults have access to hot water and washing facilities so they can keep themselves and their children clean.
What can we do, as a nation to address these issues so that children have their most basic requirements met?
YABU - Providing one hot meal per day is enough and parents should provide the rest, despite their circumstances. It is not the govts responsibility to provide anything more.
YANBU - Providing one free meal a day is just the start but as a society, we need to do much much more to ensure children are provided these basic needs and if the parents cannot provide these basic items for any reason, then the govt has a responsibility to step in and provide them.

What are you doing about it op? I am getting social media fatigue with all these outraged posts.

@CiderJolly no they are not out, I used the entitled to website - feel free to check yourself

I agree to an extent there are many many people who sadly need a lot more financial help than they get. It's very sad there are so many children who don't have their basic needs met.

But there are lots of parents who already liv off government funds that should be used to provide these basic needs. So why should the government pay twice? The benefits system doesn't work. It isn't enough for those who genuinely rely on it to have a decent lifestyle, but is abused by so many who could could to work.

all BooFuckingHoo2@ yes your right, but it’s clearly not enough.

I don't think the government can sustain giving people what they need without it being hugely burdened and unaffordable to administer. What I do think they need to do is make fundamental changes which give people the tools and opportunities to provide a better life for themselves, and no shitty incentives or expensive ridiculous initiatives, but actually addressing the causes and providing actual, useful and tangible help.

@BooFuckingHoo2

Bloody hell that’s more than I earn in a month....

Some staggeringly ignorant replies here. Do people not realise that investment in public services and a comprehensive welfare state actually makes long-term economic sense (less illness, crime, unemployment, etc), even if you don’t care about social justice as an end in itself?
We live in a society. We are not just individual units whose responsibility ends with our own children. We are all linked, whether you like it or not: that which benefits the weakest in society benefits us all.

@BooFuckingHoo2 what do you think a benefit cap means exactly?

From gov.uk-
The benefit cap inside Greater London is:

£442.31 per week (£23,000 a year) if you’re in a couple
£442.31 per week (£23,000 a year) if you’re a single parent and your children live with you
£296.35 per week (£15,410 a year) if you’re a single adult

Convert that to a mthly figure and it’s approx £1666 in the scenario you described. Only exceptions to the benefit cap are if there is a disability or in work exemption.

The benefit cap outside Greater London is:

£384.62 per week (£20,000 a year) if you’re in a couple
£384.62 per week (£20,000 a year) if you’re a single parent and your children live with you
£257.69 per week (£13,400 a year) if you’re a single adult

I actually copied wrong section on previous post but hopefully you get the gist

“People shouldn't have to work, they should work because they want to contribute to society. “

So if they don’t want to work, and can’t fund themselves, who should fund them?

384.62 x 52 divided by 12 is approx capped at £1666 per mth outside london

Benefit cap is £1666 and that includes child benefit so its bullshit thst you would get £1750 in universal credit even if your rent is £1200 your still capped at £1666 add in fuel food bills from when you HAD a job and could afford them things that blow up in the night add in Christmas birthdays etc your not going to be eating caviar

You sound like the mp that said we should sell our handbags and pearls before expecting the government to help

As if my £1 charity shop bag will miraculously provide food like a magical bag

And almost 30% of folk on here think It’s ok to let children try and survive in the shitty circumstances they are born into.

And this is the problem. I’m alright Jack.

Does the benefit cap include people who claim DLA on behalf of others in the family? Or PIP.

But carry on @BooFuckingHoo2 posting misleading figures while you’re all warm in your 4 bed, well insulated modern house with your central heating on high. Silly emoji faces really help you make your point too. Wilful ignorance.

www.gov.uk/benefit-cap/when-youre-not-affected

@Doughnutlady what do you mean by claim on behalf of others?

There are exemptions to the benefit cap for certain disability benefits- it’s all on gov.uk

Are we now going to start begrudging the disabled too?

And we are in a recession where are the jobs coming from?

Childcare is closing due to covid outbreaks so if you can source a job you cant keep it due to lack of childcare

sometimes you get two paychecks in one period which wipes out your claim and leaves you short this takes people by suprise every dam time

then there is the childcare you pay it in advance out of money you have probably borrowed to find you haven't been given it back the "we pay upto 80% childcare" apparently doesn't apply to you! They will give you a random amount then the next month nothing because you haven't uploaded it correctly you then prove you have then they say there is an issue with the invoice, it looks the same as last month? why is it an issue? It needs to go to the decision makers now how long will that take 5/6 weeks what do I do now? Find the money borrow it off someone so you lie and say you need a budgeting loan for a new cooker just to get some cash to live on and next month you get even less money because now your paying that back too do you see the hole your dug into yet?

@CiderJolly what I mean is that there is misrepresenting on this thread. There are a huge number of exemptions (as linked) on the cap. I know this as I have a ds and claim DLA for him.

@CiderJolly child benefit? Council tax benefit? benefits that are given on top of the universal credit element.

Feel free to disagree with me but please get your facts straight first.

No system will ever work its finding one that fails least.

So many small tweaks could be made to over all benefit society, one massive one would be to stop students who really struggle with maths forcing them two do gcse. If they have not got basic skills by 15 that's it.

It's utterly disturbing and pointless to force teens to endlessly work on algebra ad triangles when they do not get it.

Imagine.. If instead.. They were taught money management? Loans... Budgeting and were actually given realistic tools to help themselves as young adults?

Food budgeting etc.. Given real life scenarios.. Talked through what you can afford on different budgets.. What would happen if one over spent etc.

Imagine the impact on society!!

Imagine if they were also taught about basic employment rights, bmw etc and how to earn more and gain skills.

It breaks my heart to see teens who will not get maths.. Sat struggling with circles circumference and yet they will leave education and have no clue about credit cards... How to manage their money etc.

Secondly, another tweak with a huge impact.. Teach literacy issues, dyslexia and sen issues to teachers. Not much but enough for each teacher to recognise early sen in school... And be able to trigger early help.

A stay I read a while ago.. 50% of people in prison have literacy issues.

That is a natinal disgrace.

How the hell can we help these dc if the very place they are supposed to learn.. Is filled with teaches who have not been taught to recognise any sen at all?

Leaving parents who are engaged fumbling in the dark and parents who arnt ignorant of their dc needs at all.

Picking these dc up as early as possible and getting interventions and assements and support in place will save millions in the long run and society...

And exemptions are not just for DLA.

@slipperywhensparticus

I hear you.

There has recently been a ruling about people who get paid twice in one assessment period but are actually monthly paid- it’s being rectified shorty- so maybe a little bit of good news about the UC system?

On the whole, the state does provide those things where their parents can’t. Sometimes parents have issues with inadequate housing but mould and other problems with unaffordable solutions come up for homeowners too, the state can’t do everything. No system is perfect, but this country does make a fair stab at enabling parents to provide for their children when they aren’t doing it for themselves.

@BooFuckingHoo2

Child benefit IS included in the benefit cap and are you classing a council tax discount as money coming in?

Again, you are being wilfully ignorant and deliberately misleading.