Why are the government BOTHERING to push single parents back into paid work?

[Coldtits]

If you have two children, pay for £35 a week childcare and work 16 hours at the minimum wage you get

£70 a week working tax credit
£117 a week child tax credit
£30 a week child benefit
any maintenance your ex partner/s give you
And some of your rent paid if you are renting

That's a total of £217 of government money PLUS whatever they pay towards your rent.

Without working you get
£60 income support - with whatever maintenance your ex gives you being knocked (less £20) off this sum
£90 child tax credit
£30 child benefit.

SO, this is £180.

It costs the government LESS for me to stay at home and not work, they way the current set up is.

Why, when they are screaming from the rooftops about single parents going back to work, would they make it financially advantagious to THE GOVERNMENT for them not to? Why have they done this?

Isnt it for those with children aged 12 and over. What childcare do you get for them?

I agree with you newpup and those are the reasons that I have got myself a job, but what I am saying is that the goverment keep harping on about single mums costing them too much money and basically giving them a harder time than any other group of unemploed people and yet the way things are, it is costing them more money for us to work.

Well, it is the government, why would they do anything that makes logical sense!

because lone parents are a soft target. the government is just trying to wag the dog to direct peoples' ire towards a scapegoat in a sad bid to detract from the real issues.

well, i'm not buying that load of bullshit and i hope i'm not the only one.

Very true.

Because the children might then grow up seeing their role models going out to work and that might imprint a work ethic on them.

How can we hope that children will grow up wanting to study for a life of work and responsibility if all they see is the adults around them living off other benefits?

It might cost more to get single mums working but if it means that the next generation are not so relient on the taxes of others then it might be well worth it.

I have some understanding of newpups POV about respect wilst also agreeing that being good Mum should get respect- it doesn't, but it damned well should! but it all seems silly atm as there are no jobs anyway, certainly here we see new businesses going under weekly and the remaining ones are asking people to take 10% wage cuts (steel plant in next city) or shaky (DH's employers)

what would be more productive would be to go after absent nonpaying dads... now that would send some strong messages to kids about role mdels

'Because the children might then grow up seeing their role models going out to work and that might imprint a work ethic on them.'

they see their lone parent struggling to make it all work whilst the other parent skated off into the sunset scot free.

that's why i have major problems with any programme directed specifically at lone parents because none of them that i have seen so far seems to take into account the responsibility of the OTHER parent, both financially and with regards to childcare.

i hear people going off about 'single mothers' and always stop them immediately with 'and what about the MAN who took part in that equation?'

Er why shouldn't they work?

My opinion has nothing to do with the government, I direct my own opinion.

Nobody should have children and expect the government to support them while they stay at home.

It is a 'real issue' that for many people this is acceptable.

Agree with expat.

why should a person, male or female, use the benefits system to get out of working so they don't pay financial support for their non-resident children?

why shouldn't they be forced back into work and forced to pay up the max they can to support the children they helped bring into this world?

I brought a child into a relationship - into what I believed was a partnership where the responsibility would be shared. We had an agreement that he would work and I would be a SAHM as we both felt that was important for our DD.

Then one half of that partnership abandoned us to shack up with a 17 yo who he promptly got pregnant. We have since had no help of any sort from him and I now raise my DD alone.

Out of the two of us I feel it is clear who has taken the most responsibility.

As for respect and role model - I have completed a Diploma in Access to Higher Education, and am starting the NCT Diploma in BF Counselling. I am a volunteer for SureStart. I am hardy lazy or feckless or setting a bad example to her. But now that I have my DD I actually consider her welfare to be my top priority and I do not think it is in her best interests for me to work outside the home at the moment.

Especially when to do so would actually cost the average hard working taxpayer more whilst leaving us insignificantly better off, and when she does actually have two parents and so the work involved in raising her should not have to be expected of me alone.

Anarchy

without people like yourself volunteering the charity infrastructure- and therefore a great deal of the support and care services available in this country- would colapse.

You have my admiration, far from sitting at home doing nothing you are contributing and being an excellent role model.

The last I read of this was that single mother would forced to prepare for work - not actually go to work..........but maybe I'm wrong .

The 'average hard working taxpayer' is not responsible for the half of a partnership that disapeared off with a 17 year old. You are!

In an ideal world it may be in your DDs best interests for you to stay at home. But as you have made clear your world is not ideal. I do not understand how the fact that you have 'diploma in access to higher education' means that you abdicate your responsibility to financially provide for your child.

How does the system work if everyone opted out and stayed at home with their children?

The responsibilty falls on you. Do you really believe that you are owed financial aid from the tax payer because you chose to have a child? Or did you only assume responsibility for your child for the duration of your relationship to her father?

Peachy. Why does being disabled mean you can not use childcare?

newpup it means she was studying to get ready to get a decent job in the future.

the Governemnt couldn't bear the cost burden if volunteers all got jobs- there wuould be massive implications cost wise for them (IIRC we worked out at homestart that each £80 spent on vollunteers saved SS £800 or oemthing similar)

Newpup because he is autistic and severely aggressive and not safe around other children, and harms anyone who comes into our home.

newpup - would you rather that many single mothers live below the poverty line rather than on it then?

As for many single mothers, especially those with pre-school aged children returning to work would leave them even worse off than being on benefits!

You seem to assume that single mothers on benenfits have no intentions of returning to work in the future - well I for one sure as hell do, but in the meantime until it becomes financially viable for me I'm going to start my degree to widen my career prospects when DS3 starts nursery or school.

(BTW newpup i'm not a single mum- dh works- but if he left i'd be unable to work atm for certain)

FAQ what will you be studying?

I understand that volunteers can provide invaluable services. I am one myself. However, if you are volunteering whilst accepting benefits at the same time and are able to work, something is going wrong.

You may be saving the government money on one hand but you are taking it back with the other.

But that's not really a problem is it?

I mean- its not breaking your good role model rule is it? Stunning role model imo. Ad its keeping your skill level current so you can access work better when you are able. It also allows you to dictate your hours smewhat mroe than a job would, allowing you to take up free childcare / work around nursery.

Peachy - doing Introduction to Health and Social care - start in February next year (typically that's probably around the time I'll be moving too - except I didn't know that when I applied lol). Probably go on to do the Health and Social Care degree, but want to do the courses that are more geared towards the equality side of things.

If you get stuck do e-mail, its a few years back but I did the OU health and social care foundation yesr and am looking at social work when Dh and I swap roles next year (he'll be studying so I will work and he gets childcare- complex but it wored when I ws at Uni LOL)