We went to a baby class together this morning, it was nice for us both to get out the house together

I'M FEELING GOOD TODAY

I have a two children. My husband is still not working. We are suffering low income. We don't have a laptop and wifi connection for children. Thank you very much your support.

Maternity pay is rubbish

Boiler isn’t working. Had no heating for 4 days. But luckily there is hot water. I kept saying I would get boiler cover but didn’t get round to finding a good cover. I’m feeling a bit stressed as call out charges are high and don’t know how big the issue with the boiler is.

Just answered the question of the week and I’m feeling very empowered and positive what I have written. I hope that it is of use and highlights government failings.

Addressing Child Poverty and Benefits:

The government should establish a fixed minimum level of benefits, monitored by an independent body to ensure fair oversight. This set rate should never fall below the initial level and must be enough for families to afford basic essentials such as food, clothing, and school shoes. No family should be forced to choose between feeding their children and going without meals themselves, as I have.

Reforming the Child Maintenance System:

The child maintenance system needs a complete overhaul. It continuously fails to safeguard children and support families, forcing many to rely on food banks. Parents who have used the service, like myself and others with lived experience, should be directly involved in redesigning it to make it more effective. The current system does not enforce the penalties it claims to impose, leaving many parents, like me, feeling abandoned and hopeless.

My own experience shows the inadequacies of the system: despite providing evidence of my ex-partner’s fraudulent behavior and luxury lifestyle abroad, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) refused to investigate, claiming he lived in the UK. This failure left me and my children in severe financial hardship while he lived comfortably, demonstrating how the CMS fails to protect children from financial abuse, neglect, and hunger.

Supporting Single Parents:

Single parents face additional challenges when trying to work. The current system deducts universal credit payments so significantly that working more hours often leaves parents no better off financially. This lack of incentive to work not only discourages parents but also worsens mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Reform UK’s proposal to change this policy and ensure that working parents are better off is something the government should adopt. Parents should feel motivated to work, not penalized for it.

Accountability in the CMS:

It’s important to question whether those overseeing the CMS, such as Lord Younger, have any real experience using the system themselves. How can someone effectively lead and reform a broken system without engaging with those directly affected? The government should involve people like me—real service users who have faced the failures of the CMS—in shaping its policies. Without input from those who truly understand its shortcomings, meaningful change will never happen.

There needs to be more money put into the benefit system and an increase in the child element on UC and child benefit. There should also be a fund that parents can claim for school uniform and other expensive items a child needs in order to thrive at school. A total rethink of the amount of basic UC and benefits that is required in order to be able to heat the home and provide nutrition and homely meals for children.

Let a child be a child instead of them having to start worrying at a young age if they are going to have a meal when they get home from school or if the house is going to be warm enough. A child deserves a childhood where they can feel free to laugh, grow and play NOT what is happening for a lot of families now due to no fault of their own

I think the thing that currently has the biggest impact on the children it affects, and thus should be a priority, is the two child cap and any arbitrary cap on benefits for families who would otherwise be entitled to them. If that is addressed then the uplift for children affected will be huge.

Life as a single mum is difficult and not working. Kids will make requests that mostly you can't afford.

I'm so tired, need sleep

Make sure kids have essentials of what they need xx