Do you think we should life the two child benefit cap?

[Marshmallow4545]

I believe that the majority of people think that the cap should remain and child poverty should be tackled in different ways.

Personally I would like to see children on FSMs allowed free access to after school extracurricular clubs and activities. I would also provide more poor families with access to food banks and would look to stock these with a range of healthy and nutritious options either through donation or state funding if required. I would also look to recruit volunteers to offer advice on health and diet in these places. I would provide clothing and school uniform banks with high quality, second hand clothing that kids would actually want to wear. I have some branded 'fashionable' stuff my kids have grown out of that's still in great condition that I would happily donate.

All of the above in my view is preferable to lifting the cap and would be more effective in tackling the impact that child poverty has on the child.

So AIBU that the two child cap should remain and we should look at other more direct ways to tackle child poverty?

It’s not about those not needing them not being funded by the tax payer though. What the tax payer would actually be funding with the provision of free school meals for all is destigmatisation of free school meals for those who really need them. That’s the ‘cost’ and I think it’s worth it. Working in schools, the challenge around getting some parents of those entitled to free school meals to sign their children up to them because of perceived stigma is quite significant, and results in children who really need them going hungry. (And to pre-empt anyone who might say that that’s on the parents, children should never be disadvantaged by their parents’ choices when it comes to fundamental provisions like food.)

Of course the cap should be lifted. Practically no one is having more than 2 children anyway. Most women are having 0, 1 or 2.

If people limited themselves to having the kids they could definitely, in all circumstances, "afford", kids would become vanishingly rare.

Nope.

I am really confused about this. What you describe was true when I was younger and you had to queue up for a special card that allows you to get a FSM. Now in my children's schools nobody can tell who has paid for the mean and who hasn't. I don't know why all schools don't implement a similar scheme.

I'm not sure about the benefit gap but something needs to be done about lack of education and employment amongst some families. I think benefits should come with a caveat for self-improvement.

School meals in the vast majority of schools are now booked online there is no way of anyone knowing who gets them even the dinner ladies and teachers will not know. My oldest dc is almost 10 and has absolutely no idea I don’t pay for his meals. I’m pretty sure most secondary schools have a fingerprint system now too. The stigma thing is way in the past

Oh sorry, I thought all the people on this thread who don't want the cap lifted are employed and must have jobs where posting on forums all morning is acceptable.

Lol, the days of 9-5 Mon to Fri are lonnnnnng gone.

The cap hasn't been in place long enough to see results.

We need better services to help children in poverty, not more benefits and free childcare.

Many working parents cannot afford after school activity clubs. Why should those who don't work be offered free spaces? What incentive to seek work is there, if you might lose rights to free clubs, free food? It will just push more working parents into poverty!

We need to reward parents who work hard, save, make wise choices. So many families are struggling to afford food, yet many don't qualify for FSM or the many other services like food banks.

Better to put money into education, housing, providing services like Early Help, health visiting, parent education courses.

No they're not. Are you all unemployed then?

I do want the cap lifted, but to be fair, a lot of people work very flexibly these days. I certainly do.

Or they own their own business? You know, people that are actually growing the economy. Sorry it's not the gotcha you were hoping....

I won't ask why you on this forum at this time of day.

"Not people having lots of children' could just he replaced with 'children' in this post. If you don't care that we have zo many children living in poverty at least own it

Just lazy then? I'm on here because I don't work anymore.

Absolutely, definitely just lazy. Not an autonomous individual that owns a profitable business and can choose their own working hours.

It's ironic really because obviously those that are going to be least in favour of lifting the cap are those that are paying for it. It is highly likely that these people work and pay a lot of tax. I find it weird that some on this thread are suggesting the opposite.

If you are poor and are suffering financially, how is having a child going to benefit you at all?

If you are poor why knowingly do something that'll be costly. Like let's imagine a poor person maxes out their credit card, takes payday loans to get off to Ibiza. Of course once they return they should experience the financial difficulty and pain that comes with that.

Throwing money at people too daft to make choices over the number of kids they knock out hasn’t worked either. 🤷‍♀️

Yes they are for some.

I personally do 3 long shifts, 2 days off... rinse, repeat... one daughter is self employed, picks her hours - usually after 3pm (tutoring). The other is a teacher doing 6 days a week (indy school)

Isn't the incentive the pride itself? And seeing your kids happy?

Well done for admitting it.

SOME being the operative word.

In a country of 70 million people, 'some' is a lot of people.

I'm not sure really what your point is anyway other than to insult people and try to belittle them. I work and pay tax but so what if I didn't? You don't work yourself.

Lift the cap. Punishing children for having poor parents is cruel

Well it is easier than chasing up those who are entitled to them.

Funding people to have 2 children is not stopping poor people having children. They can still have 2 funded entirely by the tax payer.

Thats a perfect replacement ratio for 2 parents.