Skivers made to work

You obviously don't know the right people! Being on benefits can be a full time job - walking up to see the woman who sells the knock off fags, attending ante-natal classes with your thriteen year old daughter, going to order your Christmas pressies from the shoplifters. Finding the change to send your kids to the chippy for their tea....

Well forthe famileis of the kids I work with it's pretty exhausting doing all that...

oooo I cant wait to see what people have to say to that lol!!

Pitty that people, including myself, have views like that but when I look at people who are on benefits (long term) that is spot on what I see; or maybe that is just because I live in scumy Kettering

I really do not know how people get away with benefit fraud, I mean is there some secret school where they teach how to screw the system?

3 years ago when I left uni I couldn't find a job at all, because the type of job I wanted took loads of time going through the interviews etc etc I decided that I would see if I could get some help through JSA and got turned down straight away for some crap reason.

Then earlier this year when I was made to leave my job because of some health reason I found it hard to find a job again straight away so I signed on- well tried. I hated the thought of signing on but I knew it would only be for a week or two and it was better then having my bank manager on my back every day. I was interviewed 3 times, had people question my reasoning for leaving my job (miscarriage/ depression etc) had them looking into everything and I even had people turn up on my door uninvited to interview me to find out if I was telling the truth about my living conditions. And all that for 2 weeks pay. I do not know how people get away with it and when I had to sign on it was always people in the job center who I knew either had cash in hand jobs or were known to the police for shoplifting. Only once did I see one woman, who looked like me and needed help.

People screw the system because it is very easy to do so. 90% creative form filling and 10% luck with nearly all council based benefits. Even getting offered a council house on the list is easy if you know how to bump up your "points".

it still makes me laugh how it is some peoples 'goal' to screw the system. It is so much better to get a job and earn money yourself. When I claimed for 2 weeks I got £45.50 a week, how can you live on that? Thats no life in my eyes.

Okay I am going to butt my oar in here. I am older than most of you and things have changed since I lived in the UK, but it seems that many do not take responsibility for their own lives any more. When I lived in the UK at one time, I was homeless. Whose fault ? Mine. I came back from abroad and had nowhere to stay and no money. I could never ask for help because I was brought up to fend for myself. Instead, I stayed in a camp site on the outskirts of London, put all my possessions into a locker in Victoria station, even showered there, and went and got work until I could afford a flat. One thing that occurs to me is that the state making it so easy for people doesn't mean they have more pride. I think its a real shame.

Up until I fell pg with my twins had always worked. I had to give up at 7 weeks because I was at risk of losing them. But at around three months I was expected to go back to work so had to sign on. I did not enjoy it and hated the embarrassment of it. To make things worse I knew I was never going to be employed.

I decided not to go back to work after they were born since my husband worked and could support us on his wages if we lived a modest life and that is how it was until the boys were diagnosed with ADHD and Autism and hubby lost his job (Long Story!)

I get annoyed when people think we are skivers. The boys are really hard work and it is a 24/7 job. I would happily swap having one of us work for two 'normal' children but I can't.

We don't drink, don't smoke, don't have designer wear and are crammed in a house with 3 kids in a single bedroom.

I'm not complaining...we are happy, but I do object to people assuming we are just sitting back and reaping the benefits.

I'm not saying people don't. I know a few people, not friends I add, that are cheating the benefit system. Two have been reported, both investigated, and both got away with it because they were simply asked if it was true and of course they lied.

These same ones have luxury holidays, designer wear, and the latest gadgets in the home.

It is these ones the Government needs to sort.

I agree Lunah and nothing that I said was personally aimed at anyone, just the mentality that has changed. In your circumstances, you don't have choices, with kids that have more need than regular kids.

Didn't assume it was aimed at me, sorry if I sounded like I thought that......

But I do get comments regularly about being skivers and I just think if only you knew.

Then I see a young girl just going out getting herself pg and being handed everything on a plate. she goes on to moan about lack of money but seems to be able to do all that I described above.

Where there is an estate in MK (I think thats where it is, pregnancy brain lol) and it is just for young mothers, and whern I say young, I mean 13/14 year olds.

There was a bit in the paper a while ago about them and they all either got pregnant to get on the social and a house or as soon as they got pregnant they signed on and began to screw the system.

I remember when my friend was pregnant last year, she gave up her very good job (only good cause I was her manager lol) at 6 weeks pregnant. There was nothing wrong with her other then what I get now, sickness, tired, bad back, growing pains etc, but nothing to give a job up over. Her reasons? She would get a £500 pay out to buy everything for her new baby AND then would be given more money if she went back to work after the baby was born. She did go back to work and took all the money from the government for going back; that job lasted 5 weeks and she walked out.

She and I had a fight the other day because she tried to tell me that when my baby comes I shouldn't work anymore and if I do work then I must not work after 3 pm, must not start before 12 pm blah blah blah blah, I hear her with her other mates who have children and they are all of the same thinking and all I can think is 'you are sad a deluded' and thank god I am moving away from this dump.

I would rather go out and work hard so I feel I have done something for myself and earn money so I can give my child whatever they want.

Life is just not fair.
I got £100 for twins which hardly bought anything. i didn't get maternity pay even though it was my boss had said I must resign.

Like you I was happy to continue working once all was OK, but I refused to lift anyone by myself (I worked in a care home) My boss said as I wasn't prepared to work like evryone else then I had to go.

As it is no one should lift on their own whether pg or not so I had plenty of rights but couldn't be bothered to fight them as I hated the place anyway.

18 mnths later hubby was also asked to resign even though he had done nothing wrong and was just putting family first. But he was glad to leave too.

Best bit was the eboss got sacked not long after for her unproffessional conduct as a manager, along with her little deputy who was the cause of all the problems.

Anyway we really have gone off the rails now haven't we.

yeah is off topic but just to add to it (Lol) I had to sign loads of health and safety stuff when I got pregnant and am not allowed to go up ladders or anything, pretty easy at work for me now lol.

I dont think theres anything wrong with a mother wanting to stay at home to be with her child (and being helped out with benefits in the process) although I do realise alot of mothers take advantage of the benefits system !

I agree. It's the ones who deliberately get pg so they can stay at home who should be penalised, especially if they are of a young age.
If benefits were only available to over 21's or 18 if with a partner then maybe we would see a lot less young single mums. I'm not saying they will be bad mums, but babies should be an extension of a couple or family not a back door to benefits

Lunah_c wrote:

I agree. It's the ones who deliberately get pg so they can stay at home who should be penalised, especially if they are of a young age.

Hopw can you identify these in a benefits system, from what is otherwise being perceived as the "deserving" mothers though?

Helen is right. And the government's aim is to eradicate child poverty so they know they can't do anything to penalise those people. It is the one's who simply won't work that need to be penalised. None is saying that there aren't exceptins and special circumstances, just that there is no excuse for being lazy and refusing to take suitable work.

helencbradshaw wrote:

Lunah_c wrote:

I agree. It's the ones who deliberately get pg so they can stay at home who should be penalised, especially if they are of a young age.

Hopw can you identify these in a benefits system, from what is otherwise being perceived as the "deserving" mothers though?

You can't but then again as I said why else would a girl of a young age with no stable partner, nowhere to live, no savings etc....want to get pg!!

Perhaps because when you have no job, no qualifications and no aspirations, you have not had the example set by parents to gain a job or qualifications and you have the example of a mother and aunts and neighbours who have none of these things, or perhaps you get no attention from your family and no love or comfort, you think having a baby will get you attention or simply give you love

That usually is the reason for many so it is up to society to discourage this approach, by not allowing benefits but also to give them the support and time that they need.

Unfortunately there is no miracle cures for all lifes' problems

Lunah_c wrote:

That usually is the reason for many so it is up to society to discourage this approach, by not allowing benefits but also to give them the support and time that they need.

But, as Fi just said, you cannot allow people to live below the poverty line.
I think that people who are in the Benefits trap are in a vicious circle, and it doesnt get broken, generation after generation. The government might have invented lots of different schemes but the bottom line is much the same, for people in that trap. After all girls with ambitions for university, a career etc, would not dream of getting pregnant at a young age just to get a house in what is probably not a desirable area most of the time.

How do you give them support and the time that they need?

helencbradshaw wrote:

Lunah_c wrote:

I agree. It's the ones who deliberately get pg so they can stay at home who should be penalised, especially if they are of a young age.

Hopw can you identify these in a benefits system, from what is otherwise being perceived as the "deserving" mothers though?

Therein lies the problem

It's simple really don't have sex!

Lunah_c wrote:

It's simple really don't have sex!

What never lol

Lol, no that would be impossible.....well for me it would.

Lunah_c wrote:

I agree. It's the ones who deliberately get pg so they can stay at home who should be penalised, especially if they are of a young age.
If benefits were only available to over 21's or 18 if with a partner then maybe we would see a lot less young single mums. I'm not saying they will be bad mums, but babies should be an extension of a couple or family not a back door to benefits

No. Absolutely no. My sister became ('got' is not a term I would use) pregnant at 18 because she didn't know the anti biotics she was given would render her 'pill' useless. The 'father' (and I use the term loosley) did NOT support her (even though HE was 22 and above the age you suggest).

These things happen at a whole host of ages.