Page 7 | Poor Kids

Highlander · 08/06/2011 14:17

I only caught the end of it, but I think this is one of the saddest programmes I've ever seen.

How on earth, as a society, dow e let this happen to families?

Highlander · 08/06/2011 14:22

IO guess in a similiar vein, was the Fairy Jobmother.

On the surface, her clients looked like feckless, lazy scroungers. What the programme sadly revealed was a bunch of lovely people who had such shockingly low self-esteem, they felt they were too useless to even apply for a job. I wanted to hug them all. The huge smiles on their faces at the end of the programme was lovely

lovecorrie · 08/06/2011 14:22

I think she's Kalebs mum, but also looks after sam and Kayleigh sometimes?

NettoSuperstar · 08/06/2011 14:22

It;s also not always as simple as going to Tesco and buying three shirts for £5.

Our kids are supposed to wear logo school stuff. The shop that sells it is nowhere near here. (It's in Greenock, I live a river away from there) The cheapest way to buy it is to order in May, when the school does a bulk order and you get a discount. For this you need a chequebook, which I don't have.
Luckily my CM paid by cheque for me, and I gave her the cash.

I'll get my uniform grant sometime in July, I had to pay £25 for two polo shirts and two jumpers, 2 weeks ago.

That's half the grant gone even before I've got it, and still shoes and trousers to buy, then a winter coat and boots when the weather turns.

Hullygully · 08/06/2011 14:31

Go Roo. I'd support it.

IslaValargeone · 08/06/2011 14:33

Shame on me, I couldn't watch it through to the end it was so upsetting, those lovely little girls who looked in need of a good bath and a tummy full of food, for starters. If anybody does get anywhere with donations re this, please pm me as I would like to help.

Riveninside · 08/06/2011 15:46

So sas. This is how i grew up in the 80's. Going without meals, damp, no money for the elecetric. We are one of he richest countrues on the p,anet. It shoildnt be like this. And given the nearly 29% rise in gas and electric announced yesterday, it will get worse :(

Riveninside · 08/06/2011 15:47

20% not 29%

paisleyII · 08/06/2011 16:44

i am halfway through watching this with my dd who is 8, we both like watching real life docu's and i thought it would be good for her to watch it. i think it is awful how people are living in these conditions - i know councils are low on funds etc but the government should step in - my heart goes out to the poor kids and their families having to live in homes that are covered with damp/mould. i just want to be able to help them, if only i was rich, if i was rich and i was watching this i would so want to be involved in helping people have a better life. that poor little girl with the eczems on her ankles. watching her rub in the cream with filthy hands kills me, her eczema won't get better like that, it is so hard as a mum watching this, i just want to be able to help, so hard, life stinks really, just feels so wrong that some of us hve so much when some have so little. i agree with something some other posters have said even though i have only seen half of this, why do they imply that if you are poor you are dirty and so is your home. this is ridiculous, just because you are hard up doesn't mean that your home will be dirty and that your kids are too - if i were poor and saw this it would really piss me off. there are poor people who are equally house proud, just because you are skint doesn't mean you can't wash and keep your home as clean as you can - they should have shown poor kids from cleaner homes too

Colleger · 08/06/2011 17:44

PaiseyII, you don't ned to be rich to get involved so we shoudn't use that as an excuse to do nothing!

IslaValargeone · 08/06/2011 18:05

The wee one with eczema, oh dear lord,broke my heart that did, and then when she said she had the best mum in the world :( One would have to presume that social services would up their involvement in families like this once it appears on tv, or am I living in la la land?

frostyfingers · 08/06/2011 18:36

Can I just point out to the few that have blasted Cameron etc for this - this was filmed towards the end of last year, only 8 months after they came in so surely some responsibility for it must be with the policies of the Labour party? I agree the ongoing cuts are going to make the situation 100 times worse and it's not good enough, and that they need to look again at what the consequences for these families is, but don't assume it's all down to the Tories.

I thought those children were remarkably eloquent and being cynical wondered whether they'd had a few pointers as to what to say? Don't get me wrong, I know it's not "made up", but having children of the same age as Sam and his sister found it amazing that they spoke so maturely, but I guess being in such a crap situation makes you grow up fast - poor kids, literally.

sungirltan · 08/06/2011 19:37

isla - ss involvement on what grounds? there were no child protection issues as far as i could see though i wondered if sam's sister had been seen by camhs after her suicide attempt. on the old ecm system those kids might have failed the assessment on the poverty aspect and been referred to other services for that like the red cross and other local charities for help with food and appliances. though its unlikely, there may be a small chance of sam's family being able to get a family support worker BUT since it looked like he was turning up for school on time every day its v unlikely.

i owuld have thought that sam's dad would be eligible for a back to work scheme by now - you have to be unemployed for 18 months to qualify but i am only speculating.

pointydog · 08/06/2011 19:49

I'm only specualting but it seemed very likely to me that Sam's dad has mental health problems. At one point I thought, thank god that man has the strength to carry on because otherwise his three lovely children could be even more unhappy.

Poverty is complex. It can't just be sorted with a back-to-work scheme or a few bottles of cif.

sungirltan · 08/06/2011 20:24

pointydog - absolutely - just to clarify i only mentioned a back to work scheme in terms of what extra services/intervention the family might be entitled to - i don't claim to judge that he ought to be working iyswim. i'd actually feel better about him being signed on to income support rather than jsa which i think he could be if the younger child stayed with him full time. otoh i agree with you that there may be mental health issues - depression at the very least and that he oculd probably do with the social support of working a few hours a week - even just for a break from that grim house.

FancyALittle · 08/06/2011 20:48

Just watched this, was very close to tears as it brought back a lot of familiar memories and emotions from my childhood (I'm 26). I've made huge changes in my life and had blanked out those feelings of an abject, miserable existence. If I can willingly forget having no food, no clothes, no money to get a bus let alone do anything, what chance do our hugely privileged cabinet have of understanding what the poorest go through?

hiddenhome · 08/06/2011 21:18

to donate to the kids on the programme last night

I've found this through doing some searching. If people want to send gifts or letters to any of the families from the programme last night.

CoffeeIsMyFriend · 08/06/2011 21:46

hiddenhomeI cant see anywhere to donate for last nights doc on the link.

CoffeeIsMyFriend · 08/06/2011 21:53

There is also a thread running in "Chat" that maybe those with ideas of how to help might want to post there. It is non judgemental and is trying to help, not judge.

lisa123 and sungirltan obviously you have background in this field which would help someone like me, wanting to help but not quite knowing where to start.

here

hiddenhome · 08/06/2011 22:00

coffeeismyfriend scroll down, the addresses are under the video box.

hiddenhome · 08/06/2011 22:02

Alternatively you can send a cheque made out to The True Vision Foundation, with a note on who they would like money to go to, to

The True Vision Foundation
49a Oxford Road South
London W4 3DD

(taken from the site)

tiredmummyneedswineandsleep · 08/06/2011 22:43

www.facebook.com/pages/Poor-Kids/200271783351210

It says here Sam and Kayleigh's dad has had a heart attack and they're currently living in Wales with their aunt. Hope he recovers soon. Sam and Kayleigh were just lovely.

tiredmummyneedswineandsleep · 08/06/2011 22:47

www.facebook.com/pages/Poor-Kids/200271783351210

PurpleOne · 09/06/2011 05:38

i live in a b+b with 2 children and have SS involvement.
Every time the council turn a blind eye to our mice and bedbugs and overcrowded conditions (i share bed with 13yo dd), the SS stipulate every damn time, that they cannot help with housing issues. Advice yes, but not council related issues...and it bloody stinks.
We have no uniform grants here either, our oven is illegally wired and most days its just a waste of time even geting out of bed. The MP wrote a stern letter to the council on our behalf but nothing has changed...been in here nearly a year now and dd1 doing GCSE (she sleeps in living room ffs)

Just getting over a spate of pneumonia too, I can't see it but I can bloody well smell it (the damp)

yeah, it's fucking hard going. Just thankful I do have a roof over our heads...
Hard to find a job too. I had a small job last year, cleaning. She knew my ex and I think he told her we were homeless (which we are) and she sacked me!
Predjudice and stigma are rife in UK 2011 and it shouldn't be happening!

I'm just thankful that I have no bills...so I can afford to buy food cos I cant cook on the oven, pot meals only (gas hob)

So there you go....

CoffeeIsMyFriend · 09/06/2011 09:25

thank you tiredmummy I have linked the fb page and also now going to donate to the families on the programme.