'Poor Kids'

Just seen this thread. Didn't see the programme.

*hangs head in shame for the state of our country's children in need*

Thank you for the suggestion Rubysmum. I'll search.

Also wondering if we can do something to help through one of our businesses. I have an idea... I'll put it to the people in the know, see if it would be of any use.
 
Its absolutely appalling!!

Saw it last night and was shocked and saddened by what i saw
I think everyone needs to stand together to do something about it...the government should not be bailing other countries out when kids are living like that like just across town!!

No child (or adult) should go without food and somewhere decent to live ..those tower blocks with all the damp and mould are ridiculous!!!!
Wish there was something i could do....
 
Have to admit, right at the end, when Sam was so pleased with his new haircut and then he said 'If there's one thing bullies hate, it's teachers' - he sounded just like one of my brothers when they were younger, and I just sat and howled for the poor little sod.:o

If anyone can PM me details of charities that distribute clothing to these familes, I will encourage my family to have a clear out of all the children's clothing we have saved in the attic, and I will clear my own wardrobe out for any older girls too. Or if anyone can suggest any charities working with these familes in these awful situations, I will donate to their charity shops.
 
lamehorse said:
i heard a polish man describe us as a third world country ! apparantly their hospitals are sparkling clean with excellent and quick treatment . by all accounts they are appalled by our rubbish schools as well. people used to say charity begins at home , yet we seem to be struggling while the government is giving our hard earned cash to countries that are probably atually richer than us.
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This!!
 
Although I have been wondering where the money goes. They would have had full council and housing benefit... So that's sorted.
Then the single dad had 3 kids = £50 a week child benefit, £110 in child tax credit, and maybe income support or jsa at £60 per week. So that is £210 a week spending cash.
 
In the case of the little lad - they said that child benefit was not being paid for the older girl, although she was still in fulltime education so should have qualified. Their mum had also left, which I think is what might have caused half the trouble financially (drop in income) although I'm not totally sure.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13632856
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tv/2011/06/poor-kids.shtml

To be honest, although I see people's points about bad parenting, where is the money going etc - honestly, I don't much care about pointing the finger. Those children did not choose to be born into that situation, and they should not have to suffer being cold and hungry because of it.
 
I can't watch this program 'cause I live in NZ but have just woken up from an evening snooze to 'Painted Babies' a program about American Pageant children - cute kids that are made to look appaling and the money that has been spent on their clothes, It is shameful - when every country has children living in poverty including theirs.

One thing that really annoys me is that at election time there are always politicians who promise to reduce taxes and everyone thinks this wonderful, but what they don't see is the broader picture - that if you reduce the taxes people pay then somewhere along the line something/someone will suffer. Funding is reduced on Schooling, Hospital care, and welfare care.

So next time a politician says they will reduce tax if you vote them in, think of the children at the lower end and the effect it will have on them.
 
local family charities really vary from place to place so i cant give specific info for different areas - but you could try Bernados [ runs lots of locally based projects] & Save the Children & Surestart - also give your local social services a ring - in rural areas maybe start with Parish Council or Round Table
- hope that helps a bit
 
I <3 My Teddi said:
Although I have been wondering where the money goes. They would have had full council and housing benefit... So that's sorted.
Then the single dad had 3 kids = £50 a week child benefit, £110 in child tax credit, and maybe income support or jsa at £60 per week. So that is £210 a week spending cash.
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I didnt watch the program, but i was also wondering this. I ended up on Benefits for a while after my partner left me & my kids, i have to say ive never been so well off. When i hear of people struggling on benefits i do have to wonder why? All your rent & council tax paid & free school meals for your kids, all you have left to find out of your money is food & electric & gas, both of those can go on pay as you go meters, water rates you can ask the dole to take money off you each week to make sure its paid, infact if your on benefits you can now get your water rates reduced by a fair bit anyway. By the time id budgeted all my money i used to have around £100 spare.
 
Are people honestly trying to say that these kids are in such a sad situation because their parents are blowing their benefits?!

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of children out there who are in a bad place due to rubbish parenting, blowing of benefits etc but you can't honestly believe that all of these children have such bad parents?

I volunteer for a charity that provides free breaks in the country for inner city disadvantaged kids. Yes, some of the kids are there because their parents are a complete waste of space, some of the backgrounds are absolutely heartbreaking! But I also met some lovely parents who were desperately trying to make ends meet, doted on their kids but just couldn't provide what they needed! Don't misunderstand me, there were more crap parents but then how many good parents are falling under the radar? How many children are out there that nobody has any idea about?

If any of you can spare 5 nights and wanted to make a difference, I can throughly recommend this charity. Yes its only for a week but the difference it makes to these kids is unbelieveable!
 
loopyloop said:
If any of you can spare 5 nights and wanted to make a difference, I can throughly recommend this charity. Yes its only for a week but the difference it makes to these kids is unbelieveable!
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Loopyloo - could you pm me details? When I was with the TA i used to do work for the outreach project (an army sponsored project that did similar sounding work) and I really do miss it.
 
loopyloop said:
Are people honestly trying to say that these kids are in such a sad situation because their parents are blowing their benefits?!

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of children out there who are in a bad place due to rubbish parenting, blowing of benefits etc but you can't honestly believe that all of these children have such bad parents?

I volunteer for a charity that provides free breaks in the country for inner city disadvantaged kids. Yes, some of the kids are there because their parents are a complete waste of space, some of the backgrounds are absolutely heartbreaking! But I also met some lovely parents who were desperately trying to make ends meet, doted on their kids but just couldn't provide what they needed! Don't misunderstand me, there were more crap parents but then how many good parents are falling under the radar? How many children are out there that nobody has any idea about?

If any of you can spare 5 nights and wanted to make a difference, I can throughly recommend this charity. Yes its only for a week but the difference it makes to these kids is unbelieveable!
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Im not suggesting they are blowing their benefits, but maybe they do need help budgeting better. I can only talk from my experience of being on Benefits, though i have to say i dont smoke, drink or have to run a car.
 
I <3 My Teddi said:
Although I have been wondering where the money goes. They would have had full council and housing benefit... So that's sorted.
Then the single dad had 3 kids = £50 a week child benefit, £110 in child tax credit, and maybe income support or jsa at £60 per week. So that is £210 a week spending cash.
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The father only got child benefit for one child, the eldest had turned 16 and was recieving nothing and the youngest child lived mainly with his mother so the mother would have recieved the child benefit. Thought the sum he mentioned for child tax credit was lower that £110 a week too, although I may be mistaken.

Regardless, no child should have to live in conditions like this. Sam, his sister and father came accross as a very inteligent and articulate family who were where they were due to circumstances beyond their control. And those poor girls in Glasgow - surely there must be some sort of legislation to prevent councils allowing their properties to get into such a condition?
 
Hovis_and_SidsMum said:
Loopyloo - could you pm me details? When I was with the TA i used to do work for the outreach project (an army sponsored project that did similar sounding work) and I really do miss it.
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Will do!

I'd like to find something a bit more local I could help out with more consistently, but contacted a few local organisations and got fobbed off numerous times, both child and forces orientated!!
 
navaho said:
Im not suggesting they are blowing their benefits, but maybe they do need help budgeting better. I can only talk from my experience of being on Benefits, though i have to say i dont smoke, drink or have to run a car.
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Sorry, that wasn't aimed solely at you!!

I do agree some people need all the help they can get, budgeting etc!
 
I was thinking about this, about how I would manage in a similar situation, living where I do at the moment (small rural market town), as a single unemployed parent.

Jobs are not exactly ten a penny round here, but I doubt I'd be able to keep my car, so not sure how I would manage to work, especially with the issue of childcare too. Public transport is expensive, scarce, and unreliable, and even if I could find a job, who would look after the child while I was working? So I would be stuck, either trying to freelance - not guaranteed income, and not an option for everyone anyway, or in a very low-paid job. If I freelanced, I'm not sure how I would manage until money started to come in, since AFAIK benefits would stop once I declared self-employment, so how would you bridge that gap?

Also, the cheapest budget supermarket in the area is not in my town, and is not accessible by public transport, and we don't have a proper market anymore, so although I do know how to cook and survive for little, I would not be able to get the best value deals, and with no car it would be a struggle to take full advantage of BOGOF deals etc.

Clothing would be a struggle too, there are charity shops in town, but there is no guarantee that they would have clothing that would fit the child, or be what they needed (for example, a warm coat in winter). Cheap clothing in Tescos and the like still adds up, and is a Tesco coat really going to be warm enough in the bitter cold we have had the last couple of years? I am in the fortunate position of being able to knit and sew, but not everyone can, and even then you have to buy wool, needles etc and it takes a long time to knit up a jumper, so not necessarily a practical option for all. And even if you do that, some little sod is going to make your kids' life miserable for being poorly dressed:mad: And then you have other costs, school trips, and nice things that people want their children to have - they may not be necessary for survival, but quality of life, and feeling normal and part of society, is important too. And then also, access to things like the internet or books so they can do homework - guess what, AFAIK we have no public library in my town either, so parents need to provide this too - and this IS important, not just a luxury, education is the route out for these kids!

I hope that if I was in that position, I would still be able to provide for my child or children, but I can certainly see it would be a big struggle, and I think I am pretty well equipped with the skills to cope and scrape by, not everyone is. I agree that helping people by equipping them with these skills is probably part of the answer, but it's not the whole problem - long delays to benefit payments, inflexible systems, and stigma must also be dealt with IMO.
 
I didn't see it but I now want to buy a riding lesson for the little girl who wants to be a jockey because you get to be happy so she can have 1 afternoon in her version of heaven. Very sad.

I guess I had a privaleged childhood with a pony and new clothes but my parents made damn sure I knew it and I have always been very appreciative. OH and I are planning family and he wants lots of babies, I am trying to put my foot down on 'for every one of our own he wants, I want to adopt a child'. Aiming for 1 of each though he would like 4 total. (why he wants to destroy certain parts of my anatony I have no idea!)

My dad does charity stuff with kids and motorbikes, keeping them out of trouble and giving them opportunities. I'd love to do something similar but for real disadvantaged kids, with the horses but the costs, insurance etc is sooo huge. Not so much real poverty in my area either.
 
MrsElle said:
The father only got child benefit for one child, the eldest had turned 16 and was recieving nothing and the youngest child lived mainly with his mother so the mother would have recieved the child benefit. Thought the sum he mentioned for child tax credit was lower that £110 a week too, although I may be mistaken.
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Was there a reason given for him not recieving CB for his eldest, i have 2 over 16 & i still recieve CB & tax credits for both, though they are both in college. If he wasnt receiving CB for the child then he wouldnt have been getting tax credits for them either. Im kind of wishing id watched this now.
 
i hate these kind of shows they are very distressing, while my husband contstantly reminds me I could look after about 20 world vision kids every year for what it costs to keep my horses...(and he is right). I think that if everyone who is able does a bit that helps.

We sponsor two world vision children and the Smith Family (probably just an Australian charity) also has a sponsorship program that helps Australian under priviliged children get an education (makes sure they have text books, excursions, school uniforms etc ) and we sponsor one of those children as well.

It is a drop in the ocean compared to what needs to be done, but at least for three little children it makes a bit of a difference... so if you are able then put your hand in your pocket.

I am not sure if you have a UK charity similiar to the Smith Family one, but there is a good chance of it.
 
I <3 My Teddi said:
.... But " we should be proud of the billions of aid money we send abroad every year"

I despise giving money away when our own have nothing :(
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Absolutely. You only have to read Martin Lewis's website to see how people are struggling. There was a lady on there recently who hadn't eaten in three days so the pittance she had fed her small son.

How can this be right.

Charity begins at home and if there's any money over that then can go out. We're only doing it for the sake of the Jones.
 
It is appaling that there are children in this country who live like this, one has to question where the billions we pay out in benefits goes to as it doesnt appear to always go to those who really need it.

I do think that there are a number of people who dont know how to live on very little money, they dont know how to make do and mend and how to feed children on a budget. A lot of these skills have never been passed down from the older generation and we are missing a trick here. I am not sure if charities and other groups attempt to teach these skills as they really should as well as providing financial support and clothing etc or if they do and people dont take it on board.
 
I've just googled clothing distribution charity but the majority of finds were those companies that leave plastic bags at your house to collect later and then sell for cash / ship abroad.

But, I did find this, which seems to donate directly to a long list of charities:

http://www.qmcg.org.uk/howhelp.htm
 
I have spoken to my friend at work, and she is going to contact her step-daughter who is a researcher for the BBC, to find try to find out exactly just how these families can be helped, as donating to a charity isn't going to benefit them directly, I want to be able to know that the goods I give....will reach them, and not line some other persons pocket.....

A long shot maybe, but better than sitting in my warm house, watching the TV knowing the electricity won't turn off any minute...
 
Heartbreaking :(

I sobbed.

I have been a poor kid and it doesn't have to be that way. They need educating in how to care for, clean, feed, budget and manage their households. There is no excuse for the levels of filth and grime I saw :( let alone the hunger and inadequate clothing. You can pick up warm clothes from ebay for a matter of pence and use a computer in a library for free!

My Mum always made sure I was clean, warm, fed , felt cherished and educated and that was our way out. She worked damed hard and I am very grateful and inspired by her hard work and commitment to making a better life for us. She was on benefits after my Dad walked out but she picked herself up, went on a part time college course and put her life back on track.

What annoys me greatly is they seem to go on having kids when they can't afford to look after the ones they have!
 
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