if you had the chance to speak to high profile MP's about being a working woman/mother/family today what would you say?ask?

[chocolatemummy]

focussing on two parent families where one or both parents work and have a low to average income. What do you think about support available for average working/studying families

this is genuine, please give me some opinions or comments,

eg.help with child care to study
help with council tax
free school meals if on low income or student parents
etc etc
if you are in a couple/married you automatically do not qualify for free school meals, help with child care, paretnal learning grants if you want to study..........?

BUMP
can't believe nobody has any comments on this? I may well have this opportunity and need to know what people think/feel

I think I'd ask why the benefits system is so confusing and if any measures could be taken to streamline it so that there aren't a million forms. I also think that ALL children should be entitled to free school meals.

okay, what about before and after school clubs,
eg.
It has been argued that if you use the before/after school care because you are WORKING at these times then you should not have to pay or should pay a reduced rate as you are paying tax and therefore contributing to the system. Free before/after school care and childcare for single parents and unemployed so they can go to college is not fair on those who have no choice than to use this because they are at work and have to pay- up to £10 per day- £5 for each session.
Any opinions?
Would you rather have this paid for instead of child benefit?

I think childcare should be tax deductible as it is an essential business expense.

SAHM should be paid a wage by the Govt.

Part time working parents should have a better status - more pay,higher pension pot.

I don't think the working families should continue to be penalised in this way. Child care help should be universal.

I would say why can't there be less emphasis on women going back to work, and more on making it easier for them to stay at home and look after their own kids if they want to. You do not have to be in paid employment to be a worthwhile member of society, but this government makes me feel that as A SAHM I do not count.

I agree with Drusilla on the SAHM thing. It is a job in itself.

Free school meals would help. Also free after school clubs and more subsidised child care for pre schoolers as prices really high for low to average income family.

Myself and friends have to work but cannot afford childcare so have to rely on GPs and juggling shifts. Would love to be SAHM.

Are you giving evidence to a Select Committee?

Hi great thanks to all for getting this started.

Nothing is certain yet but may be doing a piece for BBC about how difficult it is being working parents on a low income.
By being in work(even though low paid or studying)we are automatically ruled out of almost any support.
Eg. My husband works full time and earns £17,000 PA and I am a student nurse on a bursary of £6000 PA. I have to do placements for half of the year and do not get normal student holiday periods so it is virtually impossible to get a part time job as would not be able to work every time I am on placement for two months at a time.
If I was a single parent OR if my husband was not working I would get the following:
-No council tax saving £120 a month
-Childcare allowance on top of bursary of up to £70 a week
-Dependants Allowance on top of bursary up to £2200 per child
-Parental Learning Allowance on top of bursary of up to £1700
-Free school meals saving £32 a month

On top of this we would get Tax Credits and child tax credits and thats just what I know about. In total it comes to almost £16000 a year which is just under what my husband earns so I complained that I was turned down for EVERYTHING and joined a debate on a BBC Politics site and was then contacted by a producer.

Any comments????

But 16k is 7 k less than what you and your dp have as an income. Plus tax credit is on a sliding scale to 22k per year and then petters out dramaticly.

oh yes I know, we dont get any tax credit really. We get £10.40 a week lol.
My point was that because out inome is earned we have to pay for everything, council tax, child care, school meals,mortgage, etc etc where as if I was as above, single or my dh did not work, we would get all of the above PLUS we would not have to pay for half the things we do now so might even end up better off. I just think that there should be more esupport for peopl like us who are trying to stay in work and contribute, get on in life but are stung for everything with no help at all

Disagree being paid to be a SAHM, having children is a lifestyle choice and they should be financially supportted by the parents not the government.

I'd like to see benefits bought in line with maternity, ie all mums either get maternity pay for 12 months or IS - not some getting more because they are single. I know the new reforms have bought the age down but its still unfair some get to stay home until a child reaches 7 and not others.

Being part of a secure family seems to mean little to the government, its so favoured towards single parents.

You do not get child care allowence if you are a single mum not working

You do get child care allowence if you are a single mum working - but then you are working and you do not get free school dinners, parental leave allowence, or dependants allowence. Nor do you get your council tax paid - you have to pay 75% of council tax, the reason it is 75% is due to a single parent being the only adult in the house - so it will be 100% if one of your children is over 18, and all your other dc are under 18 (anyone living in a house alone gets the 75% rate regardless of working or retired)

You do get child allowence for each child you have if you are working.

So if you were single or your dh didn't work you would not get all the above - you have been misinformed.

I agree chocolatemummy - dh works long hours, often away from home for most of the week. We did a review (Ok, probably not strictly accurate on entitledto.com) and that if dh was not working, we would be about £200 per month worse off. And, as you say, we'd get school dinners paid etc. It's not right, really. I don't mean that people shouldn't get this money - obviously everyone needs a certain income - but it seems so unfair to those borderline families.

I also personally don't agree with all the efforts to get mums back to work, childcare help etc - there should be more encouragement for mums to take responsibility for their own children. Please don't take that as a personal attack, anyone who has to work and put their kids in childcare, I just feel that there should be more support there if you want to look after your own children, perhaps being able to pass any unused tax code on to your partner or something?

IvyKaty

Sorry I can't have made it clear, the above mentioned allowances relate to student nurses. I am a student nurse, full time and those are the allowances paid to student nurse not the unemployed or single parents.

Even the welfare officer at my univeristy confirmed it all and told me I would be better off getting divorced!

No you didn't make it clear, so you get a bursary of £6000 for being a student nurse and your dh works and earns £17000.

Making a total income of £23000 per year, which is around £1000 - £2000 under the national adverage wage.

You are saying though you would get more than £23000 if you were divorced and a student nurse?

But you state that the total you would get is £16000 which is £7000 less than you are both taking home.

So really yes I am very confused? Do you actually get the £6000? which makes your income a total of £23000 or no?

Sorry to be dim but it is looking to me as if you saying you are better of with £16000 rather than £23000

Jolly - I agree there should be more support if you want to work as a mother, it is an important occupation and often not recognised as a large part of what the next generation will become.

Happy mum of one. I agree with you. People shouldn't get paid to bring up children they chose to have.
I'm working nights and dh working days because we chose the lifestyle we want. If we stayed in our council house, cut back etc i could stay at home with my 3dc but i decided i wanted more from life.
I don't see why other people should top up our house hold of pay to feed/care for us or our children. If you get child benifit/ tax credits etc then your lucky someones giving a helping hand. You should expect it!!
Work for what you want, don't sit around moaning about what you havn't got!!

*shouldn't expect it!!

I would say that I don't want my 4 year old to have to meet learning targets at after school club. Not really relevant to your OP I suppose, but it's what I'd say...

sept1712 - thing is your three dc will help to pay my pension, I only had two dc and that will help but not as much as yours.

If we don't do something in this country to encourage people to have more children we will have trouble in 2045. That may sound a long way away but if we dont stop and take our heads out of the sands it will be to late and the large older population will be living in rather bad conditions.

In France they have more incentives to have another and another child and will top up your income to do so - they have the same issues and long term plans need to be put in place. Italy is probably the worst nation in the EU as they are producing the least babies.

So you may see it as a helping hand now - but really it will be repaid long term by the offspring - if there was an incentive.

IvyKaty
The point I was making/asking is that why shouldnt I or other familes who have to work get any help when it is us who are paying the taxes and national insurance to subsidise the benefits system in the first place.

Yes I do get a bursary of £6k but others can get up to £16K, obviously thats is not as much as me and dh have coming in (around £23k as you said) but he works full time. Actually the difference between our joint income and a single parent student nurse or one with an unemployed partner is £7K as you have stated. That basically puts him working 40 hours a week for about £3.30 an hour which is not even minimum wage. Thing is, after taking away mortgages, childcare, school dinners, council tax, etc etc etc we are left with very litte for working full time and THATS my gripe.Simply that we could do with a little help to, just to make those five days a week at work feel worth while!