Why not just lift the 2 child benefit cap for kids already born?r kids whr

[malificent7]

But not for future kids to act as a deterrant? Just an idea

I'm with you in part and circumstances do change for the worse sometimes.

But there's a broader question here - why have 5 children in the first place? It's a selfish need of the parents to have all these children. No child ever asks to be born.

I look at the cap as a good thing in terms of an environmental point of view. But I know from expressing this here I'm unusual in that.

But it's hard because no child deserves to be raised in poverty. But then climate change is going to bite us all anyway.

Its not chold benefit ,it,s universal credit which can be hundreds of pounds a month depending on circumstances.

I think you don't quite understand how UC works. This example might help

One family earns one pound a month too much to have any UC entitlement. The other family earns two pounds a month less. Otherwise, both families are totally identical. The lower earning family would only be receiving a few pence per month in universal credit.

The old system used to have rigid earnings thresholds and cliff edges. UC does not.

Maybe instead of changing the cap on 2 children use that money to give free school meals and breakfast club to all children as the children will directly benefit particulary the poorest ?

Many children affected by the cap already have free breakfast clubs and fsm. That doesn't solve the problem. Third children ( and more) need more than a bagel and a plate of spaghetti bolagnaise to lift them out of poverty.

It doesn't act as a deterrent because people don't have children to claim benefits. Circumstances change.
Also it is the children who suffer. Children don't ask to be born and I think society as a whole has a responsibility to care for the most vulnerable and that includes children.

It was a 2 child cap after a certain date.There was plenty of notice given, but I appreciate not everyone pays attention to such things. Anyone with more than two children before that date still got it for all the children. .

There was plenty of notice. Those who continued to have more children while already on benefits did it purposely and are the ones depriving their children on purpose.

No the children shouldn’t suffer but we also shouldn’t reward fecklessness. A voucher scheme for school uniforms and free school meals/lunches as well as often free clubs ran for those on fsm and the vouchers for food during holidays for the children I certainly agree with. I’d want to make sure it directly benefits the child though not just cash in the pocket of the parent.

I think it should be ended anyway. I can think of many ways it could be funded, for example, almost no-one needs an SUV and about £1000 a year tax directly or on PCP payments on those would fund it, even if the numbers reduced.

Why has this suddenly come up again nearly 10 years after it came into force? It eill cost a fortune to reverse- money that would be better spent directly on children instead of handing out £300 a week to people who have chosen to have more than 2 children when they can't feed the ones they have.

Why lift it!
I've got more than two but I don't expect anyone to pay for them.
There would be lazy parents pumping one out every year.
Keep it as it is

The types of children this would benefit won’t necessarily go to breakfast club or sometimes school. I know of a child who will probably have a miserable summer holidays, his mum is completely in denial would leave the breakfast club to the poor children, not realising her child is in need. This same parent has their child dressed in fancier clothes than my children wear with regular haircuts, whilst the child is malnourished, with tooth decay, struggling massively academically etc but to the parent her child is fine as he looks presentable.

Because labour are in power so now everyone wants everything on a plate again.

I think the cap of 2 children is a good idea. Many people would love bigger families but stopped at one or two because that’s what they can afford. I know of a few families who as soon as their youngest is ready to start school they have another baby so that they don’t have to work and can claim more benefits, hopefully this cap will stop this happening in the next generation. I know circumstances can change but people need to take more responsibility for the number of children they have , just in case.

my mum was left a widow at 31 with 2 young children . She worked part time and could have claimed more benefits however got full time hours and worked 2 jobs most time just to put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads.

we need to take responsibility for our own children.

Yes it is. (For kids born after 2017, as per pp). I have 3 DC, all singletons all born after the cap was introduced. I don't claim any benefits, other than child benefit, but I don't get it for my third, only the first two. If you are on benefits, then the consequences are more "draconian" if you like, but child benefit is capped at two (with v limited exceptions) for those born after the cut off.

It isn't the taxpayers that are punishing the children in this case, it is the parents that choose to have a third.

Seriously CB for subsequent children is £16.95 per week - less than £900 per year. No-one has kids for that kind of money! As far as other benefits are concerned; UC is already capped. Okay, some families would get more if subsequent children were included in calculations, but there wouldn't be an incentive to carry on forever churning them out because of this.
Child benefit really turns Mumsnet into sexist hypocrites - this stereotype of women endlessly reproducing like rabbit for government tuppence. Get real. The child benefit cap is the biggest cause of the growing child poverty gap. Isn't that what matters?

"The child benefit cap is the biggest cause of the growing child poverty gap"

Where's the parents responsibility in this?

It's nit child benefit we are talking about. It is the child element of universal credit, which is significantly higher. Child benefit is available gir all children who's parents earn under a certain threshold.

This is not true! I can't claim it for my third, but I can claim it for my first 2 - I do not (and have never since you are asking) claimed any other benefits in my life. I have a decent full time job, but I can claim for my first two, and not my third.

Yeah they tried this

That's exactly what was done when it was out in place, hence children born before April 2017 (date off top of head might not be accurate) are excluded.

Where do you draw the line? Do elderly people who haven't saved anything still get state pensions, assistance with care? They should have saved! It's all their own fault!
At least the kids in this can't be blamed, even if their parents were irresponsible reckless rabbits as is obviously and always the case if you have more than two children.

It doesn't matter.

If the state has to pay it, it comes to over a billion pounds.

You're wrong