Ha ah aha ha. Bloody spongers.

[jrhnewark]

Originally Posted by etccarmageddon

In my opinion, if your child is that ill - especially from Asthma! you should not be a smoker. Where does all the money they get go? How can they afford to smoke? am I paying for them to smoke?

Carers' is for care 'above the normal amount' and DLA is awarded in two parts - mobility (e.g. cannot catch bus because physically too ill, has to travel to appointments) and care (er.. Carers' Number 2).

I'd love to see how ill this kid really is.

[Russ]

I'm not for a moment suggesting any blame is taken away from her for this but perhaps the benefits agency make it too easy to get away with fraud? Some local councils certainly do.

[marky]

Originally Posted by jrhnewark

There's your sponge-ism - those of us who are ill, or have been seriously ill, would be very hard pushed to get anywhere near those amounts.

Does everyone here realise how long some DLA, Carers' and Incapacity is awarded for? Those of us who have been ill have it only awarded for a year, spongers get it awarded for years at a time. Oh, the stories that could be told of some of those we know - holidays every five minutes. The kid 'suffering' from ADHD - what a meal ticket.

Good idea i have a child with adhd maybe i should claim, I didnt think he was ill, i just thought the medication was for a headache (mine)
and having to home educate him out of my own pocket, i'll apply for a grant, and i didnt know i could get holidays cheers for the info
__________________

Oh and dla is awarded in 2 parts with 3 levels in each

[jrhnewark]

Originally Posted by marky

Good idea i have a child with adhd maybe i should claim, I didnt think he was ill, i just thought the medication was for a headache (mine)

As someone who's not dealt with ADHD, could you explain what the mobility component is needed for?

and having to home educate him out of my own pocket, i'll apply for a grant, and i didnt know i could get holidays cheers for the info

That's a little different to most ADHD 'sufferers', I think you'll find. Most kids go to school like the rest of them - at least you're a good parent.

Oh and dla is awarded in 2 parts with 3 levels in each

I know - I've filled in plenty of their lovely long forms.

(And, the 'meal ticket' is a meal ticket, in that case. I grant that there are many serious cases of ADHD that do deserve Carers' as well as the mobility (can travel on public transport) and care components of DLA, but in a lot of cases, the kids are living on normal kids - when they take their medication. I can't see the point of compensating people for being who they are - there has to be a good medical reason for them needing that money!)

[marky]

Originally Posted by jrhnewark

As someone who's not dealt with ADHD, could you explain what the mobility component is needed for?

Its called money for getting around hospital visits etc, and they get it because if they are having a bad day, public transport would be out of the question for safety reasons would you let a kid in your car that was kicking the glass, and the lower rate is only about £14 a week, but i get naff all for him maybe i should sponge

[Florence]

Originally Posted by jrhnewark

As someone who's not dealt with ADHD, could you explain what the mobility component is needed for?
That's a little different to most ADHD 'sufferers', I think you'll find. Most kids go to school like the rest of them - at least you're a good parent.

Some ADHD children are too disruptive and end up excluded from school for the safety and education of the classes. Its hard to educate children with ADHD children in the classes but I feel these children would still benefit from fiting in to todays society and having a place at school but perhaps with slightly different timetable to the rest of school working in small groups.

Originally Posted by jrhnewark

I know - I've filled in plenty of their lovely long forms.

(And, the 'meal ticket' is a meal ticket, in that case. I grant that there are many serious cases of ADHD that do deserve Carers' as well as the mobility (can travel on public transport) and care components of DLA, but in a lot of cases, the kids are living on normal kids - when they take their medication. I can't see the point of compensating people for being who they are - there has to be a good medical reason for them needing that money!)

The medication doesn't make them normal infact in some cases it stunts their growth, supreses their appitite and in some cases has been known to change the child so that they are nothing like their normal self more like zombies and harder to teach.

[Marge]

I think about my poor dad who has worked all his life, never had a day off work really and slogged his bloody guts out to look after us all, who had major surgery 3 months ago and all he is entitled to is about £70 per week. Makes me so mad to see this flippin woman scrounging and scrounging and getting. Just heard a quote on the radio from her "i can't do right for doing wrong" Yes love, do the right thing and get a "proper" job

[jrhnewark]

Originally Posted by marky

Its called money for getting around hospital visits etc, and they get it because if they are having a bad day, public transport would be out of the question for safety reasons would you let a kid in your car that was kicking the glass, and the lower rate is only about £14 a week, but i get naff all for him maybe i should sponge

I wasn't having a go, Marky, I was just about to use you to make my point..

The DLA they get for one kid is £97.50 per week. Let's say half of that is the care component, leaving the other half (£48.58 ) as the mobility component.

How many docs and hospital appointments can one kid have in a week?

Originally Posted by Florence

Some ADHD children are too disruptive and end up excluded from school for the safety and education of the classes. Its hard to educate children with ADHD children in the classes but I feel these children would still benefit from fiting in to todays society and having a place at school but perhaps with slightly different timetable to the rest of school working in small groups.

The problem with this is that many schools, as I'm sure you'll know, are working on a stretched budget as it is, so giving extra to ADHD kids would be determental to the 'normal' kids who want to sit down and learn. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but it's the way it is.

If some of these kids really are that bad, not only will they take away funds from the others, I'm sure they'll be dragging down the overall behaviour of the school. Perhaps it's time to consider some sort of special eduction, for the worst? (I'd extend this to others with behavioural problems of one sort or another, too. Having said that, if there was to be such a school around here, they'd leave a couple of the schools with half the amount of pupils they started with...)

The medication doesn't make them normal infact in some cases it stunts their growth, supreses their appitite and in some cases has been known to change the child so that they are nothing like their normal self more like zombies and harder to teach.

If someone could come up with some sort of wonder drug, I'm sure they would; but they haven't. What are you supposed to do?

Again, I refer to the latter part of what I just previously said.

[Julian]

Originally Posted by Marge

I think about my poor dad who has worked all his life, never had a day off work really and slogged his bloody guts out to look after us all, who had major surgery 3 months ago and all he is entitled to is about £70 per week. Makes me so mad to see this flippin woman scrounging and scrounging and getting. Just heard a quote on the radio from her "i can't do right for doing wrong" Yes love, do the right thing and get a "proper" job

And stop s***gging to get more kids and benefits

I wonder how attractive the benefits would be if they were paid as vouchers to be used for food etc. and not cigs etc.....

[Stuart]

Just been reading this thread, and I have a few thoughts..

First. I do find the Bardsley's offensive. They *are* (IMO) spongers who should be stopped. It sounds like they might be now.

Second, we (I include myself in that) are making judgments based on a few news reports (which may be biased) and a few hours of entertainment television (after all, Wife Swap *is* light entertainment, it is not a documentary and is not researched as thoroughly as a documentary should be). They also try to inject a certain "shock" value into the programme*. The programme may also be biased.

Third, and before I say this, I will say I don't have much experience with depression. AFAIK depression comes in cycles. It's entirely possible that the times we have seen the father, he was just having a good day.

Fourth , I am suprised they got DLA initially. It is not easy to get .

Fifth, how stupid are they? Do they think the DWP staff (& fraud department staff) don't watch TV? Yet they still claimed despite being on TV..

Sixth, Assuming both are well enough to work, they should get jobs.


* Before you think I am slagging Wife Swap off, I am not.. I like the programme and am actually friends with a lady that started off as researcher (and has apologised for the Bardsleys) and is currently production co-ordinator. I liked the programme and was friends with the lady long before she started work on it.

[Hom3r]

I'm out of work and have bills to pay out of about £500 per month, and I'm only entitled to £54 PW in jobseekers and that expires in March, and F**k all else. Because I have to live at home.

This really the the %^$%$£

[marky]

Originally Posted by david.ewles

I'm out of work and have bills to pay out of about £500 per month, and I'm only entitled to £54 PW in jobseekers and that expires in March, and F**k all else. Because I have to live at home.

This really the the %^$%$£

Well the answer is there, you are now depressed because you dont have a job, so you can claim benefits for incapacity. The mind boggles mate
And i was joking about that good luck in trying to find a job

[jrhnewark]

Originally Posted by Stuart C

Fourth , I am suprised they got DLA initially. It is not easy to get .

It's damned hard work! The trouble is, DWP will award DLA to people like this for many years at a time without evaluation - where as other, honest claimants will only get it awarded for a year, and then it all has to be done once again.

[NitroNutter]

Heres a story about spongers, real spongers not someone who may be claiming entitlement and been slipped a few K for one or 2 events that was not likley to continue.

My wife worked at an old peoples home some time ago, there the residents were subjected to abuse you would find hard to believe. Left overs were served up the next day. Unqualified personal were dealing with the medication, medication was not allways reordered on time so other residents medication was borrowed. Doctors are suposed to visit patients every so many prescriptions, this rarely happened, a qualified nurse is suposed to be present during the nightshift. Invariably all these positions/jobs are performed by unqualified school leavers because they are cheap labour, yet the home owners are getting a good £1000+ per week per resident, many small homes take a good 6 to 12 residents. Having worked in one myself for a while I knew what was occuring at my wifes place of employment was not right. The whistle was blown to the council, who then informed the home that they were coming out for an examination in 2 days time as there has been alegations made about the running of the home. Of course the council who is in charge of giving out licences also recieves reasonable financial sums for them. Nothing was found against the owners but they then went on a war hunt to victimise the person they believed informed on them out of their job.

Thats £52,000 .00 at least per year per resident sponging, and they get to sell on at the end either a business or a large and expensive house. Of course there are some very well run homes but theres a huge amount that is run like this, as my wife found out when she got in touch with some one who wrote regularly for care weekly and got my wifes story published in it.

[Florence]

Originally Posted by jrhnewark

The DLA they get for one kid is £97.50 per week. Let's say half of that is the care component, leaving the other half (£48.58 ) as the mobility component.

How many docs and hospital appointments can one kid have in a week?

Children with ADHD will not have monthly appointments ADHD is what is termed as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. These children are hard work as trying to keep them on task is more a 1to1 teaching which isn't possible in the cash starved education of today. We have a few children with behaviour problems not all are ADHD some are just copying others who they think get a better deal than them.

Originally Posted by jrhnewark

The problem with this is that many schools, as I'm sure you'll know, are working on a stretched budget as it is, so giving extra to ADHD kids would be determental to the 'normal' kids who want to sit down and learn. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but it's the way it is.

If some of these kids really are that bad, not only will they take away funds from the others, I'm sure they'll be dragging down the overall behaviour of the school. Perhaps it's time to consider some sort of special eduction, for the worst? (I'd extend this to others with behavioural problems of one sort or another, too. Having said that, if there was to be such a school around here, they'd leave a couple of the schools with half the amount of pupils they started with...)

If someone could come up with some sort of wonder drug, I'm sure they would; but they haven't. What are you supposed to do?

Again, I refer to the latter part of what I just previously said.

Special education that will be a hard one all special schools are on their way out with the children intergrated into Mainstream schools.

Infact if they do police checks on some of these people on benefits they could help the shortfall in watching the children at lunchtimes, become before and after school carers with a member of perminant staff. The Hospitals would benifit from extra help at no extra costs on funds. These people could be palced in areas that have shortfall in staff helping those already there to ease the pressure.