To disagree with Children in need

[BrokenBrit]

Perhaps I should preface this and say I do give to charity and I recognise we don’t live in a fair and decent society where services are properly funded.

However, I think it’s pretty shameful having children plastered all over the tv revealing their private medical diagnosis so as to get some money for essential funding.

I also hate the narrative of disabled people needing pity and charity with the sad music and dimmed lights (I’ve not watched it this year but that has been previous years experience!). Either that or as some sort of inspiration! I just hate this narrative!

Then there are the jolly celebs making themselves feels good singing a song and raising a few £ when what really needs is change to policy and practice, a properly funded NHS, proper provision for children with SEND and much, much more. But let’s donate a quid and feel good about ourselves hey.

AIBU?

I have never watched it. The NHS has billions thrown at it, it is not short of money it is very badly managed by too many overpaid managers. It is currently employing another 200 diversity consultants at £70,000 a year, how will that improve anything?

Its the older generation that is the drain on services, we are all getting older and need care and help from....yes you guessed it, from the younger people you seem to despise, they are also paying your inflation proofed pensions too.

We haven't got particularly high taxes, its around 38% overall compared to 43% in France & Hunt is going to make sure you can leave abit more behind to your kids too! taking away their incentive to work.

We have historic low levels of long term unemployment, most of the 1.2m claiming dole, are churn, short term claimants.

Anyway, its pretty sick when our PM could match the 35m raised last night and still have 705m left in his bank account and that ignores his wifes cash.

Children with MH issues, who have suffered traumatic bereavement shouldn't be reliant on Vernon Kay running 100miles.

Programs like CIN are exactly what is wrong with the UK...the poor hand over their pennies willingly like the good troopers they are whilst the rich cheer us on.

Vernon Kay was somebody who does the corporate gigs I mentioned earlier. Was paid £42,000 for one evenings work last year.
So yes they can fundraise themselves with galas and balls like they do in America.

I completely agree with you. I find it hard to agree because I know lots of children do benefit from the services that have funding from CIN but disabled and traumatised kids should not be plastered all over the tv with sad music behind to show how ‘terrible’ their life is for money. They can’t fully consent to this and they should just have the access to what they need without it. Supporting the vulnerable should be a basic in any dignified society.

I don't know, I have a really good friend who has a young son with some quite complex SEN, and he has benefited hugely from CIN funded activities. So whilst it has his drawbacks, I see the good it does too

My dds condition meant that yes NHS funded all her care but charities provided the extras, one on one art lessons, a virtual birthday party, gifts etc. These things brightened her day and stopped it all being medical bleakness.
The kids they get aren't forced to tell their story but want to in order that more children can have the extras they had and to give something back.

Google any charities accounts on line
look at what the c e o s earn !
you will never give to a charity again
charity belongs at home

Makes me even more glad that we don't have a TV

It' seems more of a "look at us aren't we great doing this for charity " celebrity fest these days .

All rather tacky and cheap just like Comic Relief

I hate all the CIN talk on Countryfile for weeks in advance. I change channels as soon as they start up about that calendar they’re so fond of.
I loath the appeal on telly which takes over an entire evening and never watch it.
It probably gives pleasure to thousands if people but I find it tedious and boring.
I give to other charities so I’m glad to leave it at that and am pleased I’m abroad this year to miss all its creepiness.

Google any charities accounts
look at the earnings of th c e o ‘s
you will never give to charity again !

Makes me even more glad that we don't have a TV

What a silly comment. There is an off switch, or alternative channels.

I don't watch these marathon fund raisers, but I recorded last night's just to watch the children's choir which featured children from DD's old primary school. Then I deleted the rest.

I guess you never watch anything on a screen?

No civilised first world country should have charities for its own citizens, that's what the NHS, Social Services, Schools, etc. funded by general taxation are for. We need to stop voting for governments who 'save money' by outsourcing (privatising) services. They claim it's cheaper as government run services are inefficient, it isn't, that's an argument for hiring more experienced, more capable staff, not selling off publicly owned services! And the same goes for charities, it would be far cheaper to properly fund services instead of handing it all over to several smaller organisations, each with their own staff hired to fight over the same funding pots.

@JellyMops who are you going to vote for then, charities to help children etc have been around for hundreds of years?

@Blanc4 do you think they should do the job for free? They are running an organisation that is dealing with distributing millions of pounds. You need to employ someone who has got that expertise

It also undermines/overlooks/ignores all the statutory work and support social workers and teachers do every day to support children. Because they aren't 'charity'.

We have to move away from the narrative where children (or anyone) with a disability is either to be pitied or is an inspiration - life and people are far more complicated than that, and, as someone who lives with a disability, it riles me to f*. There's nothing inspirational or pitiful about the hard emotional and physical slog of living with a disability and navigating a society that 99% of time has limited flexibility and tolerance for disabled bodies.

Absolutely hate the virtue signalling and feel good 'fuzz' CIN attempts to promote by asking people to part with however much cash. Irony being, if we raised taxes - and proportionate amount people would spend would be less than giving in one lump sum.

I don't doubt there are very positive things that are funded out of CIN. But why can't the celebrities that endorse this use their considerable influence and power to lobby the government to make these things a RIGHT for children rather than reliant on charity.

Charities though create "luck of the draw" care, CIN raised less money this year, despite inflation at 11% over the last year, so that means less help, people will go without.
Charities were originally created because their was nothing, now they should be used for the extras but they are not, they are being used to fill gaps within the NHS, Social services education etc.

The NHS is drastically short of scanners, why on earth are these being funded by a charity?

As far as i can see, charities allow Govts to duck their responsibilities.

Yes i can see the argument on salaries, though why, in most cases they earn more than the PM seems rather odd.

I do agree with the sentiments around children in need and the inspiration/pity stuff.

I also agree that the state should provide adequete services for its people.

I disagree that there shouldnt be any charities. For instance the RNLI are very proud of not being a government service and it stops them being a political football. There are some local charities that fullfil a local need that would be hard to create at a national level. My son goes to an sen school that is a charity, that gives it a level of independence from government policy which doesn't work. Government is never going to be perfect.

Meh. I ran London marathon on a charity place for Macmillan years back, sure, it was a bucket list thing for me and I did raise plenty of money. But the benefit that my family and I had from macmillan during 3 bouts of cancer care were over and beyond what the NHS could even be remotely responsible for providing.

I think the same is true of children in need. I'm not denying that the NHS is grossly underfunded nor that parents/families/general public should not be asked to pay for even the basics. But many of the things that this money will pay for is beyond the remit of the nhs, and for that I will happily donate a few quid.

I guess you don't have a child in need?
I do he's severely. Disabled A lot of things he can access are funded by things like children in need but I suppose you can just make A thread on here and feel.good about yourself 🙄

Big charities wouldn’t be able to function if they paid the CEO peanuts. They’re paying the market rate. Nothing wrong with that. You need someone experienced at the helm.

I never watch the show, will donate to someone fundraising though.

It's interesting that posters who have actually benefitted from the funds raised by CIN have painted a completey different picture.

Totally agree @BrokenBrit and @Blanc4

I am not totally against charitable work (I've done some myself) but I am also concerned about how charities are running and whether all in need can get access. When I was at a low point with my SEND child I approached one charity who turned us away as our local authority hadn't bought into their services. It was a humiliating experience and I felt totally abandoned. I had to go it alone as the local authority couldn't provide either. In view of this, I'd like the government to properly fund support for disabled children and adults rather than relying on charities because its down to luck and postcode if you can get any help.

I agree with your points that this should be covered by better use of government funds - but the reality is that doesn't happen, and if charities (CIN being one) didn't try and fill the gap, the gap would be even bigger.

I don't like the virtue signalling of slebs either- but, it clearly works. And if that's what it takes to make some money to support people who need it, its the lesser of two evils.

I donated to a local charity who are working with (of course anonymous) disadvantaged families. They had a list of items those children needed and I bought some and dropped off at the specified location.
I did find it sobering that they had a stat that 1 in 5 children experience "food insecurity" (I have to admit I'd never heard the phrase before )
The lifestyle/income brackets and spending habits in general where I live means I can't imagine it's anything like that here, which means there must be some areas where its affecting much more than 20% kids

I do a lot of fund raising with a charitable organisation. We are all volunteers and no-one gets paid at all for their efforts. We all do it because we want to.