Should childcare be paid for and other benefits given just for having a child/children?

[Sunshine236]

Does everyone think childcare should be paid for?

It's controversial but why do some people feel entitled to be monetarily supplemented because they’ve had a child?

It’s surely a lifestyle choice and people should ensure they can afford to have children?

For sure there should absolutely be a safety net for those who have had children and circumstances change seeing them need urgent support, but I’ve read people earning £100k are receiving some kind of support each month and now we're looking to provide further free childcare.

There are so many other issues such as social care, NHS funding etc that need funding which money could go towards, rather than supplementing people who are already receiving a decent salary just because they’ve had a child/children?

WigglyWigglyWiggly it is not my responsibility to fund a child you have brought into the world. That is your responsibility as parent.

And having children definitely is a lifestyle choice.

The country needs people to have children. The less help and more expense there is = even less babies = big problem in 30 years time

Yes definitely paid for or heavily subsidised.

From really high quality care providers, paid a decent wage.

Sooooo much is learnt in the first 2 years of life and some parents can't/don't provide the learning experiences needed in these vital early years.

People (usually women) leave work to care for their children because they can't afford childcare. They then earn less, have less good pensions, have gaps on their cv and the lack of security of being dependent on that person to provide for you poses all kinds of problems.

Those high earners who benefit from the cheaper childcare will, inevitably, put that money back into the economy which benefits us all.

Jobs are created. Quality, cheap childcare means more people are available to take them. More tax is paid, again - more money in the economy, less being claimed in benefits.

@Sunshine236 but who will pay for your pension nhs etc when you retire if people choose to stop having children? The country needs people to continue having children to pay tax on the future

Smoking is a lifestyle choice, health conditions as a direct result of obesity is a lifestyle choice.
Plenty of things are lifestyle choices that are paid by the taxpayer.
Do you have a problem with schools being funded by taxes? Or is it just early years?

Well I’m perfectly okay with that. In my view subsidising childcare is far more worthwhile than paying for things like heating for the stables of MPs.

Affordable/subsidised childcare is a huge factor in helping to reduce the gender pay gap.

Of course it should be funded.

Smoking, drinking, being obese, taking part in extreme sports are lifestyle choices, but the nhs picks up the tab for that (through taxes). Should we start charging those people for care? Or do we want a prosperous and healthy society where health and education are available for all?

I doubt you are getting much government help if you earn 100k. I do not think child care should be free but there's a huge difference between charging for childcare and extortionate childcare. People have pointed out it isn't viable so parent stays at home...

People don't get free healthcare when they're sick, it's paid for from NI contributions. Paid holiday is part of your employment package and your salary is reduced evenly over the year to pay for it. Sick pay is also part of the employment package.

You are right that if an INDIVIDUAL earns over £100k they would not be entitled to childcare support however, you can have a 2 parent household earning 99k each so nearly £200k household income still be eligible.

I think some people on here have missed the point of the OP. They're asking about whether families should be considering childcare costs BEFORE they have children and either accept that they are going to have to make sacrifices while their children are young or decide to have fewer children if they simply can't afford them. There is a choice involved.

It's not my responsibility to fund social care for people who can't afford to pay for their disabled or elderly family members. That's their responsibility, let them pay for it or give up their job and take care of them. What other thing did you say the money could be used for? The NHS? Not my responsibility to pay, everyone's health is their own responsibility. And I'm absolutely not paying for anyone to have their children educated, that's the parents' responsibility. Who cares if we end up with an illiterate population.

@Sunshine236 but you will make lifestyle choices that affect taxpayers who make different choices.
Also the tax paid by having two parents in work and contributing to the economy/providing services and amenities everyone needs, far offsets the paltry £3+ an hour the government gives to nurseries for just over a year for 30 hours term time only. The alternative is to increase wages for all, including those in poorly paid front line jobs, that is likely to need a hefty income tax rise. Personally I'm happy either way

Adult social care gets a good chunk from my tax payments? We know that can include a whole host of things?

I will happily pay toward and support good wages for child carers and a higher standard of service. This is a great step towards greater safeguarding and welfare in my view!

We really need to stop the dog eat dog I'm alright jack attitude!! This kind of support will cascade down and will have a positive aspect on health, wealth, taxes, unemployment and so much more!

Why would a family who earn a decent wage need this support? And why shouldn't it go to areas where it is more needed, i.e. perhaps to help people who are in urgent need whether that be parents whose circumstances who have changed or social care or whatever?

Nobody has children for the good of the country.

I'd love to see greater protection for workers rights and investment in affordable RELIABLE public transport.

I quit my commuter job after maternity leave. My daily travel costs were greater than the daily nursery fees. Picking up on time every day would have been next to impossible with frequent train cancellations and delays. And in far too many jobs leaving the office on time is still frowned upon. Scaling back the presenteeism culture for men and women would make nursery and school pick ups and drop offs so much more manageable for working families.

@KimmySchmitt

Well, you only have to look at Japan to see the results of treating children as a lifestyle choice. It's not a road I would like to see Scotland go down.

Children are a joyous part of humanity. Let's do all we can for them. They are the future of our country.

I think it might be a life style choice at an individual level, but at I am not sure at a society level its a good choice to either have children in poverty as people went ahead anyway (lots of very poor people abroad have more children) or only wealthy people having children, or relying on immigration to fill the jobs and pay the state pension of a generation they have no connection too and might well think 'no' this other country is now nicer to emigrate to or just vote in different ways.

It's not as simple as 'having a child is a lifestyle choice I don't have to fund'

The children alive today are the doctors, nurses, carers etc that you might need in your old age.

There are wider reasons why we need people to have children (unless we want our species to die out, which our natural instincts will rebel against)

So if we accept that we need people to have children, we then need to think about how people fund their children.

If the wider economic landscape has meant that in a two parent family, both need to work, then something needs to happen to the children. If the economy can cope with only one parent working, we need less childcare.

Why are you obsessed with social care?

Why should I pay because an old person can’t afford their own care? Shouldn’t they have thought about that before they got old?

The limit is 100k no matter where you are in the country. It doesn't take account of whether you live in a high COL area.

I gave up my job as a nurse due to childcare costs and difficulties. I would love to go back and do more hours and apparently the country needs more nurses but I don’t want the stress of work and stress of organising the kids and house for very very little reward.
We manage on my husbands income and a I work a few hours a month, enough to keep my registration.
childcare is such a barrier for me going to work, not just the cost but the availability of ad hoc hours that can change with my shifts. It’s so frustrating as I love my job and want to work more and I know so many other nurses like myself.

When people choose the "no children" lifestyle, where will you be getting the future workforce from?

we have an ageing population & low productivity, we need to invest in our children & that includes childcare.

Because we need people to have kids. We also need those same people to be able to work.

It's really that simple