Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/RJhumaN @childrensociety 's @raficooper

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/RJhumaN @childrensociety 's @raficooper

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/RJhumaN @childrensociety 's @raficooper

The government estimates that 100,000 disabled children will be hit by changes to Welfare!!! http://t.co/43roXpP

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/RJhumaN @childrensociety 's @raficooper

The government estimates that 100,000 disabled children will be hit by changes to Welfare!!! http://t.co/43roXpP

The government estimates that 100,000 disabled children will be hit by changes to Welfare!!! http://t.co/43roXpP

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/RJhumaN @childrensociety 's @raficooper

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/taabiUB @childrensociety 's @raficooper

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/RJhumaN @childrensociety 's @raficooper

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children http://t.co/qTw7yzL

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/wE3r3zp

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/taabiUB @childrensociety 's @raficooper

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/RJhumaN @childrensociety 's @raficooper

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children l Left Foot Forward – http://j.mp/q3Z3n5

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children l Left Foot Forward – http://j.mp/q3Z3n5

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/RJhumaN @childrensociety 's @raficooper

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/RJhumaN @childrensociety 's @raficooper

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/kMfLGPb @childrensociety 's @raficooper

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/kMfLGPb @childrensociety 's @raficooper

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/RJhumaN @childrensociety 's @raficooper

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/RJhumaN @childrensociety 's @raficooper

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: Children cannot work to raise extra money … http://t.co/oD4yEGB

This makes me so angry. Parents will do anything, give up anything, try anything, to help their disabled children, to intervene when it can make a lifelong difference and to lessen the pain of a child learning to live with being different and frequently despised. Lives and families which were once on track speed to the bottom of the social, financial and consumer heap. Careers are lost, friends vanish, coping is a distant memory. Every resource to which they have access is used as effectively, efficiently and thriftily as it can be, because it is the only way. Marriages collapse, mental health collapses, hopes and expectations are centred on survival and the child. Now the government will take away such minuscule support as exists. They are not fit to govern a snakepit.

Surely David Cameron must know the additional costs of bringing up a disabled child? These welfare payments are not “perks” but payments that are needed to allow child and parents the opportunity to fully participate in society. Cutting these payments will result in fewer parents being able to cope and more children being taken into care.

Our society is becoming more unequal every day. Failing to care for those who are less able and more vulnerable than average is the sign of a sick society that is devoid of compassion. It is time we reaffirmed that people are more important than profits.

Since the inequality between rich and poor in this country reached record levels under the last Labour government, I too am disappointed that the coalition, especially with Cameron’s knowledge with his own disabled child, are pursuing this policy but I would just caution that the government says no one will lose money:

“Departmental modelling estimates that, once fully implemented, approximately 100,000 children would have a lower entitlement as a result of the reform of disability benefits under universal credit. However, these households will receive full cash protection against this change to ensure that there are no cash losers at the point of transition.”

So since there are no cash losers what on earth are Labour activists bleeting on about here?

I do hope the only “evidence” for this article isn’t from Margaret Curran in view of her downright dishonesty towards students in the past. Why would anyone believe anything she said?

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/taabiUB @childrensociety 's @raficooper

#disability On @leftfootfwd today 'Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children' http://t.co/b9vAenD

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/taabiUB @childrensociety 's @raficooper

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/RJhumaN @childrensociety 's @raficooper

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/taabiUB @childrensociety 's @raficooper

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children http://t.co/FvzYXOs

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children http://t.co/FvzYXOs

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/taabiUB @childrensociety 's @raficooper

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children http://t.co/FvzYXOs

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children http://t.co/FvzYXOs

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/kMfLGPb @childrensociety 's @raficooper

“these households will receive full cash protection against this change to ensure that there are no cash losers at the point of transition.”

Mr Mouse’s inevitable attack on Labour is undercut by his own words. The proposed transitional protection is fixed at the point of transition, so will be continually eroded by inflation, meaning families will lose each time their fixed transition sum is not updated to counter inflationary rises. Meanwhile the transitional protection will not apply to new claims and, assuming constant population, those 100,000 affected children with transitional protection will soon roll over into a new set of 100,000 affected children with no transitional protection whatsoever, simply a £27/week reduction in family income. Ministers were very careful to always specify no losses ‘during the period of transition’ when speaking in the House, but, unlike them, the families of disabled children do not have the luxury of relying on short term pedantism to escape the consequences of the government decision.

To quote from the government’s own impact assessment:
“This Impact Assessment provides an assessment of the costs and benefits once Universal Credit has been fully implemented and transitional protection has been exhausted.”

“Around 1.7m households will have lower entitlements under Universal Credit.”

UK #hcr>RT @kathgreenwood:RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children http://t.co/3ZMF3tC #prolife

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/RJhumaN @childrensociety 's @raficooper

While strongly agreeing with the general thrust of the piece (I’d signed the petition even before seeing it), I must take issue with one statement: this is that “the group of adults with whom support is aligned are at some point likely to be able to move back into work”

This is far from universally the case. The disabled adults in question are those currently in the Work Related Activity Group of Employment and Support Allowance. The assumption for someone placed in WRAG is that they are not currently fit for work (no matter what the tabloids might claim), but may be able to return to the workforce at some undetermined point in the future. This is far from a certainty and many disabled people are likely to remain in WRAG for decades, with no more hope of returning to the workforce than the children discussed here.

This does not in any way invalidate the unacceptability of 100,000 disabled children losing a significant amount of benefit, but we must be vigilant against falling for the government’s persistent claims that all disabled people are either capable of work, or shirkers.

(And in the spirit of full disclosure, I’m currently in the ESA WRAG with no short term hope of a return to work).

DavidG – “Mr Mouse’s inevitable attack on Labour is undercut by his own words”.

Nope.

Read the government’s response before you start criticising words that aren’t mine please: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2011-06-08b.57941.h&s=disabled+children+universal+credit+curran#g57941.q0

And btw DavidG you say you’d signed a petition “before even seeing it”. Enough said…

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children http://t.co/FvzYXOs

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children http://t.co/FvzYXOs

another consequence of a hastily constructed welfare reform agenda.

Mouse, whilst technically not your words you bought into them; your first reaction was to believe what a Coalition minister said. Anyone who has actually engaged with them directly in the last year knows never to take them at their word, certainly not more than once.

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/JSCPizk @childrensociety 's @raficooper

Mason Dixon, Autistic – Having conversed in the past I understand your inability to realise if something is factually accurate or not but his is a new low even for you.

There is no “technically” about it. Those are NOT MY WORDS. End of.

They are also from a link in the article and since we are now in the position where the deputy leader of the Labour Party actually claims in public that rioters stealing plasma TV’s were doing so because of tuition fees changing in three years time I really don’t think slavish supporters like yourself should complain about the government…

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children http://t.co/FvzYXOs

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/DGAtD9l @childrensociety 's @raficooper

We & a coalition of 30 organisations are calling on the Gov to reverse planned cut to support for disabled children http://t.co/SzOQ3gf

We & a coalition of 30 organisations are calling on the Gov to reverse planned cut to support for disabled children http://t.co/SzOQ3gf

We & a coalition of 30 organisations are calling on the Gov to reverse planned cut to support for disabled children http://t.co/SzOQ3gf

We & a coalition of 30 organisations are calling on the Gov to reverse planned cut to support for disabled children http://t.co/SzOQ3gf

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/pGPTol6 @childrensociety's @raficooper

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/pGPTol6 @childrensociety's @raficooper

Dear David,

Many thanks for your comment on this post. I agree many adults in the ESA WRAG will not be able to work for some time and I think you make a fair point about this, however, I still think ti is fair to point out that many will have aspirations to do so at some point.

I think a crucial point around this issue is not about benefit rates per se, but about income stability. For low income families it is crucial to have a level of support they can rely upon, as such the way to align benefit rates is to uprate one group over time, and as resources become available, not to cut support for another group (as is being done with disabled children).

Thanks for signing the petition!

All the best,

Sam

Dear Anon E Mouse,

Thank you for your comments about this post. Regarding transitional protection I think there are three key points:

Firstly, only existing benefit claimants will be protected – new claimants
following the introduction of universal credit will receive no protection and
could lose substantially compared to their entitlement under the current
system.

Secondly, the level of protection will not be uprated with inflation, meaning that even relatively large losses under the universal credit would be eroded within just a few years.

Finally, households whose circumstances change may lose their cash
protection. What counts as a “change in circumstances” for these purposes has not yet been defined in detail.

For households at risk of losing substantial cash protection, this could
create a minefield of benefit complexity – they will need detailed welfare
rights advice to ensure that they are aware of what changes of circumstances could lead to them losing their additional support.

All the best,
Sam

Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children
http://t.co/i3zrd5E RT

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/pGPTol6 @childrensociety's @raficooper

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/pGPTol6 @childrensociety's @raficooper

WHO?? Who would bother to defend this in a comments section? who would defend it at all?

The government estimates that 100,000 disabled children will be hit by changes to Welfare!!! http://t.co/43roXpP

Sue Marsh – Defend what?

The story isn’t true. It’s just spin from this fine blog. If someone doesn’t pay you £27 from one benefit but pays you £27 from another benefit then you’ve lost nothing. You have exactly the same amount of money you had before.

It’s simple maths….

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children: http://t.co/pGPTol6 @childrensociety's @raficooper

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children http://t.co/FvzYXOs

“Mr Mouse’s inevitable attack on Labour is undercut by his own words”.

Nope.

Read the government’s response before you start criticising words that aren’t mine please: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2011-06-08b.57941.h&s=disabled+children+universal+credit+curran#g57941.q0”

Which confirms precisely the point I made, protection is ‘at the point of transition’ and only for those with an existing claim. If your child is newly disabled, no protection, and no £27/week.

“And btw DavidG you say you’d signed a petition “before even seeing it”. Enough said…”

Indeed, you misunderstood what the minister was saying and then misunderstood that I had signed the petition before reading the article.

[...] also: • Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children – Sam Royston, August 15 [...]

RT @leftfootfwd: Help stop government changes to welfare penalising disabled children http://t.co/0hsDWEQG

The problem is not all parents are even aware of the Welfare Reform Bill.I have spoken to many who do not know anything about the proposed changes but they will soon and that is when they will wake up. I know of the hardship as my daughter is now older. It takes away your life and it is not only the affect of money but to the health of the carers, mothers and fathers and the stress it puts on their relationships. I am disgusted with this current bill.They have not informed people or consulted enough carers or disabled individuals.

[...] • Help stop government cahnges to welfare penalising families with disabled children – Sam Royston, August 15th 2011 [...]

David says that his govt is instructed to be 'fair and right' – is it right to be hitting the disabled so hard: http://t.co/UqKcKGW5 #cpc11

David says that his govt is instructed to be 'fair and right' – is it right to be hitting the disabled so hard: http://t.co/UqKcKGW5 #cpc11

David says that his govt is instructed to be 'fair and right' – is it right to be hitting the disabled so hard: http://t.co/UqKcKGW5 #cpc11

David says that his govt is instructed to be 'fair and right' – is it right to be hitting the disabled so hard: http://t.co/UqKcKGW5 #cpc11

David says that his govt is instructed to be 'fair and right' – is it right to be hitting the disabled so hard: http://t.co/UqKcKGW5 #cpc11

David says that his govt is instructed to be 'fair and right' – is it right to be hitting the disabled so hard: http://t.co/UqKcKGW5 #cpc11