To wonder what else can be done to break the cycle of generations living off benefits?

[Allonthesametrain]

Sounds harsh because It is. As a former teacher, then eduation social worker, now the past few years more heavily involved with school attendance.

My desire has always been to help children from unprivileged backgrounds to know their worth and achieve the best they can and this has been my career from age 23 to 57.

The number of times I've cried, torn my hair out, is immeasurable. I and colleagues have gone above and beyond to support the families, genuinely care about them, but unfortunately the outcome has been, as I've said in title, it's a continiation of the cycle of being brought up within a small community and low expectations.

So many gorgeous kids (supported throughout their young lives until they leave school) who tell you their dreams of what they want to to achieve in life, we do everything we can to enable it and some have indeed broken out of the circle but unfortunately the reality has been...

Parents who live lifestyles of no bedtime routine, tell their kids not to come back before ...pm, sleep in and don't get them out of bed ready and fed for school and as for weekends, pub and take back a new bloke

Parents who have issues themselves and project them onto DC. The kids soon realise they can stay off school for feigning illness and would actually be a comfort to Mum

The parents who just cba and say shall we just still in bed?

Of course there are so many other mitigating factors but these are the 3 main experiences we've dealt with. Unfortunately it really does come down to poor parenting and no matter what interventions we do to encourage attendance, only a minority are genuine.

So the cycle...DC think education isn't important, parents are hopeless role models and can often be aggressive to teachers, a deflection of blame.

Then oh DD gets pregnant at age 15, DS has been reprimanded by the police for scooting around in a balaclava. Then pure hostility when we try to continue to talk to them and what could be done to help.

Basically it's just such a shame, these sweet young kids who say they want to be ... become so influenced by their homelife, a need to fit in with their family and peers from the same estate, that they ignore the support we give them, don't turn up to appointments etc.

For the genuine cases, DC with SEN, the effort to try and ensure they are in best place is utmost and it's heartbreaking there aren't enough of them. Yes, we do know genuine cases and not just so many parents striving for a diagnosis because they feed DC a terrible diet and let them stay up late so are tired and irritable at school.

Expecting some backlash, whatever anyone says I can reason with.

I’ve not idea whether you have or not … talking about people who haven’t!

Ask parents why they're not valuing education for their children. What are their beliefs that have led to that? How could it be different so they got on board? If they feel it's pointless, irrelevant, not worth bothering with, what would they want to see for their children.

Unfortunately addiction and alcoholism account for much of this. If there was a way of persuading people with addiction issues to address the problem, then there would be far fewer neglected and abused children.

Interesting you mention it, I know someone who had a similar situation (ASD - PIP) and my friend (her relative) said that well, she needs it.

But… does she? She’s perfectly functional, doesn’t work out of option but is trusted to look after 3 children and drive everywhere with them. She’s more confident than me, I’m not sure I’d go off to the seaside with 3 nephews, I had them recently at a fairground and it was stressful.

I also know someone (former coworker) who was long term unemployed and saved up his benefits. He struggled when he entered the workplace (promoted by his parents) and he hated it, but regardless of how much he hated having to work… he managed. He wasn’t incapable of work, staying holed up at home playing games wasn’t doing him any good. He’s still employed to this day and no disaster came from that.

Yes agree but a lot of people won’t take these jobs as feel they are beneath them!

Don’t they have to be in education until 18?

No it is not. My friend works as a welfare rights officer for a housing association just outside Glasgow cIty centre. I can assure you there are generations of "benefits families" The children born into them are doomed from birth. Now they know they can get even more money as their dc have additional support needs, due to their home environment. And so, the cycle is perpetuated.
Fucking depressing for these kids, who don't stand a chance.

Thing is, all of the "must be in education until 18" stance is irrelevant if parents aren't getting their children into school whatever their age.

@BuildbyNumbere

Not if they are a NEET (not in education, employment or official training), or who have family members already in the plastering trade that can take on an unofficial labourer etc.

Yes people got lazy and expectant

Oh ok, well plastering is a good trade to have.

i thought the past was the same, except you had more crooks due to people being more desperate ?

Stop paying them unless they can not work

@BurnoutBee yes! I teach primary, we've all been taking year 6 booster groups. Mine has been the top group. I asked them what they wanted to be, two said they wanted an apprenticeship with a local employer. It's a good local employer, but these are our top kids, children who should be aspiring to at least 7s at GCSE, and they are talking about apprenticeships.

Who are the 'them' you are referring to?

And what happens if they can't find a job???

This will go in circles, because you will get told that people are unemployed because they are picky about jobs... and not that the job market is dire right now and people are struggling to find work.

Only thing is you said people
should move to get a job…. So what you do think comes first now?

Sadly I think you're right, tbf. And I don't even think it's a case of people being that clueless, just mired in denial. You can see chips on shoulders from ten miles away on this thread.

No not then. I thought this had finished by the 1930s

how about after 1947 in the 20th century

Paying who? The disabled, carers, or people working mw jobs as these are the majority of people on benefits

If you are on UC you will get a stamp towards your state pension.

But the country was in a post war employment boom, then. The kind of employment, I might add, that some people have been rather sniffly about on this thread. Labouring. Factory work. Working on the docks for low pay. Doing the kind of work needed to rebuild a country.

There was a lot of work around then, for the masses, when the masses were expected to leave school as early as possible. You could get in on the ground floor and work your way up.

That isn't how things are, now. There aren't the industries offering mass employment there once were. And what there is left doesn't pay enough to put a roof over the average person's head.

Back then, all you had to 'be' was a grafter and you could earn good money.

That’s sheer nonsense. You only need to search for a cleaner, garden maintenance person, childminder etc and you see how few there are. Why is everyone looking for a ‘job’ - just go and advertise for work for heavens sake. I’m willing to bet I could fill my diary as a cleaner or weeder or babysitter within the week.

Yes it’s a shame and at least normal working people could afford rent or even buy a house.

Cash in hand?