Free holiday clubs for my friends who do not work

[rhodrhi]

i am a lone parent. I work full time and parent full time. I have no idea how how I am going to manage school holidays. I get a bit of UC but not enough to cover 4 weeks of holiday clubs. Two of my friends get means tested benefits, do not work but have booked their kids in for 5 full weeks of holiday activities for their kids because they get means tested benefits because they do not work. I would have thought you would have to prove you are working as there is no reason their children can't stay at home with them. I am so overwhelmed trying to scrap around for childcare yet they are getting unnecessary clubs for free. Genuinely want reasons why iabu because I am feeling particularly bitter this evening!

Maybe local authorities are different. I get your frustration especially if those not working are able bodied and could take their child out.

From my point of view, I dont work as im disabled, we haven't been on holiday since 2019 (before I became disabled). If the activities weren't solely focused on SEN and my daughter was a people person, they would be good for getting her out of the house for a few days, otherwise she will be stuck in for 6 weeks as I can't physically take her out and I dont have a circle of people to rely on as it disappears when you are ill.

You never said why your friends dont work. Im tired of seeing all the benefit bashing going on.

Under what circumstances do.they have school age kids and get benefits without working? You have to jobseek well before compulsory school age.

You can't just be like I have kids at school and I'm a lazy job shy cow and UC give you a full array of benefits.

Could you put him into the holiday club for a day or two a week. Normally you don’t have to book the full week. Also most kids don’t want to spend their whole summer holidays at clubs, they want down-time too. So if you could mix it up a bit - club / home, your DC will be as happy as Larry!

I actually don't know. Genuinely have no insight into whether they are job hunting or not.

Genuinely no idea. One worked at a local shop that got new ownership and she said they got rid of her, another hasn't worked for at least two years I would say. But I have never asked about their circumstances around job hunting.

Op most people can’t afford most activities, clubs etc. people just juggle whatever way they can, and beg borrow and steal what time off they can and yes kids watch too many screens etc etc etc, but then you have the fab days you get to do a day of playing, or go to the beach or the zoo. you’re not a shit mum x

@IDontHateRainbows

To be accurate, HAF was piloted in 2018 and fully funded from 2021. Which I think you will find was a tory govt

@IDontHateRainbows

To be accurate, HAF was piloted in 2018 and fully funded from 2021. Which I think you will find was a tory govt

This does happen though. There’s plenty of work shy people who think having kids means they don’t have to work. Yes, they have to show they apply for jobs, but does anyone ever check the quality of their applications?

You get UC so you know full well you can get 85% of your childcare back. And you will get free school meals from September. Your friends kids get some holiday clubs (not 5 weeks every day) because they are under privileged, not something to be jealous of.

I can't get my head around not working if you are able to, its an isolating and boring existence otherwise.

I am sorry you feel penalised but as I said, next term you should be getting the same- not that it helps you in the next 6 weeks. I remember the feeling of paying extortionate holiday club fees and then seeing those on social media either getting to spend time with their children or feeling like they were benefiting off the backs of the tax payers.... as im now a "bum" I would rather be the old me- karma has probably bitten me on the arse 😂

I still need to find over £50 a day for the four weeks I need covered. I can't get a UC loan every time and I don't earn enough to have that amount of money up front, plus at Christmas and easter, and the two week half term in October. I am constantly broke.

Once you get the 85% back you put it to
one side to pay up front for the next school holidays. Save the 15% each month. I’m in the same position and I no it’s expensive, but slating your friends for getting more help than you is daft.

Email the same places and ask. If they have spaces they can still say yes.

It’s a way of keeping these kids off the streets and out of trouble, trying to avoid them mugging or thieving off people.

YANBU
Even as a relatively high earner, 2 kids in full time holiday club was financially crippling. Mine are now older but I well remember the years of feeling I was grafting for nothing when I would rather have been with them.

Ultimately though, keeping going through those years, I now have a much higher salary, a good pension and will retire early into a good standard of living. Those who are relying on benefits are going to have a hard landing at some point, probably in the not too distant future.

OP won't be getting the same next term. It isn't going to work like that for people who will get FSM because of UC.

If you borrowed £400, that will cover 2 days a week. If you get 85% back, ask this to be paid directly to the loan. The balance is then just £60. So it’s £60 for 8 days childcare, £7.50 per day. They can deduct a manageable amount from your UC payments.

You then only have 3 days of DC watching TV. I’m assuming you’re off work on the weekends to spend time with him.

But the point is they are not poorer. I suppose that must be what the OP is saying.

HAF is for the children, not their parents. Most children who qualify will have exceptional circumstances like being a young carer because as a PP said most parents of school aged children are expected to work or be supported by family.

I am sorry OP, despite it being 2025 the world still doesn’t seem set up for working parents during the long school holidays.

I remember being really annoyed when DS was young because there was an excellent low cost summer camp available, but in order to get a space you had to be on the phone at 8am the minute bookings opened, impossible of course if both DPs worked, so the SAHMs always grabbed the spaces - and that’s not even half as bad as what’s happening to you.

Oh I believe you.I believed you at the first post.
You do get people trying to dismiss the inequalities in life for those working compared to those who aren’t.
Don’t dare complain about the inequalities or you get the “think of the poor children who are disadvantaged because their mothers don’t work” bollocks.

From a government and social perspective, these schemes make perfect sense and are "fair" even if they don't appear to be. As a PP said, it's primarily for the children. Children coming from homes where the parents are on UC, don't work and presumably not very educated will suffer a lot over the holidays even if there is technically an adult around taking "care" of them. Most of these children will just end up on screens 8-10 hours a day and end up with serious behavioural and MH issues if they don't have them already. Many of them will almost certainly become unemployable or start committing crimes which becomes massively more expensive for the government and taxpayer compared to the cost of a few holiday activities.

Sadly, the government also knows that families with working parent(s) have at least some work ethic or place value on education. There are probably statistics showing that children from those homes still end up fine (overall speaking) even if they don't have enough money for holidays clubs, camps etc. It's the kids from families on UC that are potentially most dangerous for society so they need to allocate funding in hopes of nipping any problems in the bud. For some of these children, the camps might be the best respite from a horrific home life that they have all year.

Surely another issue here is where is dad and why is he not contributing? He should be made to one way or another.

Many of these enrichment type holiday activities are not full days though meaning working parents can’t use them even if they can pay. I was fortunate that we had flexible work so he dropped them at 10am and I collected at 3pm, we couldn’t have used the council scheme otherwise