Wrap around care for those who don't work??

[Raisinsandweetabix]

Free breakfast clubs, afterschool clubs. Why would you need this if you are at home all day anyway? Another kick in the teeth to working parents. Obviously not including those in dire need of this care.

Thanks @MurdoMunro We did get tax credits for a long time, and it really helped keep us afloat (no big TV and none of us has been abroad since DS was born almost 15 years ago). For all of nursery (where my wage plus tax credits paid the nursery bills and enabled me to keep my job), and all the way through primary when I used paid for holiday clubs and breakfast club all year - again this meant I was able to keep working despite being disabled myself (PIP refused on spurious grounds but I was too ill to fight it at tribunal level - again something that happens a lot). If DS was at primary school now this policy would have been a lifeline for me and enabled me to keep working. Surely the aim of the game?

Instead of feeling pissed off that people are getting benefits unfairly, maybe some posters need to think bigger picture. Many, many people who should be getting support via benefits are not. Policies like this are aimed at helping children in a practical and direct way first and foremost.

I can only hope the government turns its attentions to the SEND crisis. Have last week spent 1k on solicitor letter to LA to try to enforce provision for 2 speech disorders and basic literacy lessons. I could actually cry, thinking how much 1k means to us. Sadly, after 2 years of battling we have no choice left but to do this.
I don't think I have any tears left now just a rather bleak and determined look in my eye.

Anyone who doesn't have a child with SEND, god bless your heart, be glad you don't know what I know.

Better give up your job and do what she's doing then, before you burst an artery 🤷‍♂️

Threshold for FsM is 7k. Very few parents of children on FsM work.

It’s the poverty of the working for many.

Plus Lots of loopholes to access FsM and can be divorced/separated and in large house receiving high amounts of child maintenance and still claim FsM as CM not classed as a wage.

Case by case does work. It means those who need it the most don’t get it because they are too embarrassed to ask for it.

It’s not taking away from working families, it’s making sure every child gets the best start possible even when the odds are stacked against them. Sadly the world isn’t a level playing field and if a free breakfast or after school club goes just a tiny way to balance that then it’s worth it.

I am a working parent and I paid for breakfast and after school club and I am really pleased about this change.

This helps disadvantaged children, it can help children with neuro diversity transition into the day, it could give young carers respite from their caring role and guess what, even 'normal families need suport sometimes and this can help.

There maybe some parents who use it, but don't need it, but in this time so many families can topple into crisis, either physically, or mental health wise, or financially quickly and this is a safety net.

In terms if workforce planning, schools have not changed significantly since I have been in school. If school offer 'full day' TA contracts, it may make the role more appealing to a wider range of applicants.

But hopefully it’ll create a generation of children who are better able to focus at school, so they’re successful at school and work and won’t continue the cycle with their children. The only way to break the cycle is to invest more in the current school-age generation.

I know what you’re saying and as a working parent it grinds my gears too - we only qualify for 15 free nursery hours for example whereas if neither of us worked we’d get 30. But I try and remember it’s provided for the children not the parents, we know that early education and provision as you describe improves outcomes for children from the poorest households, and I can’t complain about that. If it improves kids’ lives then I’m in agreement.

This isn’t true. 15 free hours are universally available to 3 and 4 year olds and 2 year olds in households with certain benefits.

30 hours are available for 3 and 4 year olds when both parents are working, you need to apply for a code.

Yes, it's just another government intiative which hasn't been thought through. I'm fecking fed up of them. It's the same in my school. If they end up having to use classrooms because the demand is so high, how are teachers expected to set up for the day, have a meeting, how do the cleaners clean it? Where exactly are these low-paid support staff coming from who are so enthusiastic about coming in earlier or staying later, after doing a really very difficult job all day, and who may well have their own young children to care for?

Then there is the general administration burden. Someone has to order the food. Where will that be kept? Is there space in school kitchens? Will there be ROOM in the kitchens if the main kitchen staff are in prepping for the lunch serving. Staff running the breakfast and after school clubs will need training in food hygiene, safeguarding, first aid, perhaps personal care. Someone has to manage all that. Who will clean up after the food has been served? You want to see our hall at the end of lunch hour. The kitchen staff spend a good while cleaning up.

It's not as simple as just letting the children in a bit earlier.

Whether a child gets free school meals or not is decided the summer before they start school then it continues until they leave primary school. If your job is low paying you won't be able to afford childcare before they start school especially if you have no family around.
As soon as my child started school I upped my hours to fulltime. Not everyone who has a child recieving free school meals is a lazy bum

Yes it's for the children, to give them a chance. However if parents aren't working and have no disabilities etc they should be required to up skill or attend parenting courses when their child is in childcare.

There are multiple reasons.

SS would need a building to hold the breakfast club and then the children would need to get from the breakfast club to the school.
So it’s just easier to have it in the school building, which SS have no involvement in.

Many parents would not use a service created by SS, which may impact the children.

SS are already stretched physically and financially.
If they were to put on additional services, many of which don’t need it, then it’s going to take away from their other duties and more kids will suffer.

There are lots of issues that also come with not having breakfast and schools recognise this and choose to reduce these issues by putting it in themselves.

I do think the government should fund things like this, as every child should be able to eat breakfast but then you’d get people like OP complaining about it.

👏👏👏👏

Excellent post!!

I get your point OP as someone who has spent hundreds a month on this for the last 8 years.
I also get that the least privileged need this. Then I think will some people even bother to bring their kids to this? Where does it stop? Do we send a taxi to get the kids as well. No doubt I will be criticised for saying that but the fact is kids being abused or ill treated will likely still miss out and they are the ones who the net really needs to catch. There are other financial measures in place to deal with poverty but there are other things I think we need to prioritise here. Look at the Sara Sharif case today do you think he would have got her to school on time for a free breakfast?
I just get concerned that all personal responsibility for being a parent is being transferred to the state.

Definitely not free in London…

I am baffled that these issues would be so hard for some people to comprehend, or even think off. What world do they inhabit, where they have no awareness that there are people out there, who really struggle due to these issues?

OP your missing the major bigger picture here which posters have pointed out.
Children getting support and a decent breakfast has been shown to improve focus, learning ability etc.
Anything which helps break that cycle is only a good thing!

Both DH and I work, would happily give a place to a child at breakfast club if that meant the child had breakfast, could focus and it potentially reduced classroom disruption and more learning for all.

It doesn’t it continues until the rollout of UC March 2025 and it eve when the child leaves the stage of education they are in at that point. After March 2025 and new claimants of FSM will loose it straight away if their circumstances change.

I know, the transitional protection thing makes me laugh. Half of our families on FSM swan in to pick up their holiday food supermarket vouchers saying things like "thought I'd come in today to pick these up as the kids won't be in tomorrow, we're flying to Turkey" etc.

Oh fuck off. Do you want them to be at home parenting their children or out working, not really clear what your gripe is.

You have no idea what people's home lives are and "working parents" are not fucking saints for having jobs.

well, i was going to give a coherent answer as a Carer, but now you're on to benefit Bashing.

So all i'll say is not every mother who doesn't work is sat on her arse naval gazing. Some of us are busy, struggling, and glad of the extra support being available when we need it.

@MurdoMunro Many people have agreed with your comments, completely valid.
@Raisinsandweetabix are posters not supposed to ask you questions on your confusing thread, you seem annoyed you’ve been disturbed from making your kids tea, to be clear, as you haven’t been, this is just one of many benefit bashing threads, not actually about your relationship with your SIL.You’ve now moved onto benefit fraud!

A "blanket approach" is cheaper. Assessing costs money.
I hope you're not working your arse off in a role that requires you to punctuate.

12 hours a week at minimum wage is over 7k. That's only a third of full time hours and half the hours covered by school time

Selective spending unfortunately