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.

You made the comments suggesting that I should have got a wheelchair and worked in a call centre yes? Do you actually have any understanding that some leg breaks are worse than others. Mine was pretty much the worst it could be. I broke three large bones. Tore ligaments and practically snapped my ankle in two. There are some breaks that if you break two bones you can weight bear but I couldn't.

I was told if I didn't have the operation I would have arthritis in later life

How would this work if you have kids?

The only way to stop this is to not have children born to inadequate parents , this problem will never be sold .

I have Polish family and Polish friends and they have a completely different outlook on work to us. They don’t see X or Y as an inherent right - they work like their life depends on them, not the state. Eventually it leads them to a place of being incredibly resourceful and self sufficient and usually very successful.

Why is that funny? Because you’d never do it? Hand on heart, that’s exactly what I would do (and have done). I lived in a tiny box room stuffed full of taxidermy whilst doing a month of traffic counting. That’s literally what I do. Paid cash in hand at the end of the day which I gave to the room owner. I was a student and had completely run out of money.

There is in some councils. You still have to go through the whole process of finding somewhere, passing affordability checks, applying for the first month's rent and deposit... Because the problems in our society are structural, no matter how much our rulers and their enablers try to pretend they're individual.

That doesn't happen in Glasgow. It's more likely to happen in rural farming areas. Quite aware of the Polish work ethic. A Polish ex neighbour of mine painted my flat when I had to move five years ago. I wasn't on benefits then just incase you ask how I could afford to pay him

Pleae retract that. You have the wrong poster. I have not said a word about you and wheelchairs. I think you are just jumping on here in fury without even reading posts properly .

That might have been possible when you were a student but I daresay things have changed a bit since then.

I think that’s a bit harsh. Ultimately if only middle class parents had children who would deliver your parcels? Do you want your own children to be working in highly necessary but low paid jobs? The problem is getting people off benefits and doing those jobs.

Yes, you were a young student.
How does that approach work with a middle aged person with kids?

You think Drs get so much more relative to care workers? Really Id say the opposite. minimum wage is £23k, junior Drs start on £38k and they often work so many hours that they’re barely making much more than minimum wage! After 5 years of studying and incurring huge debts. Financially becoming a dr doesn’t stack up. And to become a consultant involves more study, graft, going above and beyond. And just like any job if you do more and progress you are paid more. Drs in this country are woefully underpaid for their expertise, which is why we loose increasing numbers to other countries and NHS is full of people from the developing world

I’ve not read all of the posts so someone might have said this. I think different skills need to be introduced before college level. School is so academic and lots of people just aren’t academic, that doesn’t mean they couldn’t find success in other fields. If kids had the opportunity to try skills linked to trades early on, and you had real tradespeople (builders, hairdressers etc) there to show the kids that you can make something of yourself, earn good money and have a better life by doing something they are good at, maybe that would be more motivating. I also think communities need much more in the way of free opportunities to get involved in things. Like community gardens, activities for kids etc. People who have never worked are likely to have low self-efficacy and fewer transferrable skills. Having something low risk to get involved with can help build confidence, develop skills and increase readiness, desire and ability to enter the workforce.

No I won't. Did you make a dig at me earlier because I'm on benefits?

Well I’m in Edinburgh and I’ve certainly seen and done it here..😑 You’re right, wouldn’t work in Glasgow though.

👏👏

Ultimately if only middle class parents had children who would deliver your parcels?

Middle class couriers, maybe? There may even - gasp - already be some! Someone pass the smelling salts...

As if there wasn't enough crap being peddled on this thread, now we have blatant class snobbery too for good measure.

Reported you as you have accused me of something I did not say.

Like the only reason the plebs exist is to deliver parcels to their betters 🤣

That's fine. Once more did you have a dig at me for being on benefits earlier?

I can’t give answers to absolutely every scenario. But I’d start by posting online on Facebook groups and I’m sure I’d find something somewhere. The point is I’d actually really look. I think many people walk to the town centre, ask in the job centre, any jobs going? No? Oh well, best sign on then.

I think your post is ‘technically’ right and in earnest but truly, the odds of the young people around here volunteering to dig a community garden are basically nil. They just don’t want to do that kind of thing. There are actually loads of schemes and charities if you look for them, I’m not sure why people say ‘there’s nothing to do’ because it’s all there at the click of a button if you search. I think motivation is very low, for complicated reasons but not excluding the fact you can live your entire life at home on a screen now and the incentive to do anything ‘for real life’ is lacking.

I think having these excuses though does comfort some people.

Remember the youth who complained to Emmanuel Macron there were no jobs, and Macron replied he had seen an advert in a cafe a few minutes ago and he should put an application in, and the youth looked utterly shocked?

No.

You are well out of touch if you think the job centre has anything to do with jobs now. It doesn't.
I have had to 'sign on'. You don't even get money for over a month when you first go in.

You can't go into the job centre without an appointment any more.

Give it up. Your suggestion is stupid. You might as well say well I'd just find the nearest bank, rob it and use the proceeds to buy a house. What you are saying doesn't exist in reality.