Welsh Government Slammed for Basic Income Pilot Scheme

[wendeey]

I agree with the majority of Gee’s post.

[Boot]

@Gee3

Less over worked social workers who have time to support young people properly would be better. As would a more intelligently set systems & budgets, with time to help young people transition from care to society gently & effectively.

I agree with this.

I have worked with teenagers in care and, whilst they do need to be able to afford safe and secure accommodation after leaving care, they also benefit from continued support and guidance, either from their previous foster parents or other appropriate mentors.

One point about the Basic Income package for Care Leavers in Wales -
I understood it was available to Care Leavers aged 18, not 16.

I understand there will still be some support and training in managing finances - the support is the crucial element in my experience.

[Morticia]

@Gee3

Imagine being 16, you have no family support & only an assigned social worker who, due to government funding, has four times the number of clients they should have. Imagine moving out of your foster home, with maybe only 2 or 3 changes of clothes, no bedding, no kitchen utensils, no money but Universal Credit or a job which pays national minimum wage & at 16 that is under £5 per hour., or under £200 per week. You have to sort out things like rent, electricity, water, council rates etc etc & all on your own as your social worker can only see you once a month, as they have 30 or more other clients & all of whom have immediate needs & risks, which means if your social worker sees you every week & one of their other clients dies or seriously self harms, they will be publicly pilloried in the local or national media.

I’m not unsympathetic … but at 16, I had my own social worker though I still lived at home with my widowed mother and siblings. She scraped by after dad died, and quite frankly, I didn’t make it any easier for her. Neither did my older brother who tried to commit suicide because of debt so my mum had to work to rear me, and pay off his County Court debts.

I’m just trying to illustrate that not every family is ‘well off’ or immune to problems … some are plain dysfunctional.

So, I still disagree … because I got a job as soon as I could, paid 25% of my wage to mum for my rent … rising to 30% when I was 17. By 19 I had left home and was paying a mortgage.
I had to figure out how to make my way in the world on the same wage that any other person earned … not an inflated handout to ease my way.

[Morticia]

On that note I’ve said my bit so I’ll withdraw from the discussion as I seem to be on my own.

[OldGreyFox]

@Morticia

On that note I’ve said my bit so I’ll withdraw from the discussion as I seem to be on my own.

No you’re not on your own Morty, I think you’ve made some very valid points. Life can be tough and sometimes a person must learn to take responsibility for their own future. One of the problems today could be that there is too much help around, and handouts and benefits become a right of passage. Although the lack of manufacturing and trades in the UK doesn’t give kids much choice these days.

[Morticia]

@OldGreyFox

Although the lack of manufacturing and trades in the UK doesn’t give kids much choice these days.

I agree with that … what happened to Apprenticeships and Day Release at the local colleges? I don’t even know if they offer any of that anymore and our industries are dead.

[Boot]

I don’t think you are on your own, Morticia.

I think several people have expressed reservations, both here and in the wider world.

I have seen comments from some former Care Leavers and some foster parents saying they have reservations about whether this scheme will be beneficial or not.

I have reservations too.
Whilst I agree that kids leaving care often do need more support, there is not a “one size fits all” solution.

Help to gain a job or training scheme, help to gain safe and secure accommodation, which may require some top-up to their earned income would be a good thing.
I am not sure handing them an unconditional unearned income of £19,000 per annum will give them much incentive to focus on working for a living.

I can recall a couple of troubled teens I worked with who had money held in trust for them from the criminal injuries board relating to their childhood abuse.
It was paid out to them when they were 18 and they frittered it away very quickly and were no better off when it was all gone.

[wendeey]

Morti I don’t think you’re on your own on this.

Did you see this part of Gee’s post:

I am not saying this, £1600 is a good idea. Less over worked social workers who have time to support young people properly would be better. As would a more intelligently set systems & budgets, with time to help young people transition from care to society gently & effectively.

[wendeey]

Morti, that’s exactly it. Times are completely different these days regarding employment to when we left school.

Even just working on a building site is completely different, they’re not allowed to unless they have a CSCS card.

Do you know the difference between all the different fire extinguishers? If you looked at the CSCS card test, you’d know what I meant.

In our day anybody could carry bricks about, nowadays they can’t do that.

[Donkeyman]

@Morticia , You are not on your own at all Motto?
You have just converted me to your point of view as l tried to
explain earlier ?
Donkeyman!

[LongDriver]

@Morticia

So, I still disagree … because I got a job as soon as I could, paid 25% of my wage to mum for my rent … rising to 30% when I was 17. By 19 I had left home and was paying a mortgage.
I had to figure out how to make my way in the world on the same wage that any other person earned … not an inflated handout to ease my way.

Ah yes, I understand, but we have to remember that working opportunities have changed since then and in real terms wages have fallen.