What's your definition of child poverty ?

[saunaman]

Broadly described as a child living in a household whose income is 60% or less than the average wage .....

 

Well in that case , most people of my age group were brought up in child poverty ! Second-hand clothes , second-hand Christmas presents ( yes we knew they were , but would never have kicked off about it for fear of hurting our parents ).

 

We were brought up properly . Showing love and providing childhood boundaries and freedoms were the greatest gifts my parents knew how to give , and material goods were an irrelevance . So how on earth can the new Archbishop dare speak about child poverty in purely material terms ? I'm not particularly religious , but I think us "plebs" could teach these arrogant religious figures a lesson in humility and basic humanity ??

[big_g]

Broadly described as a child living in a household whose income is 60% or less than the average wage .....

 

 

I think that a better definition of child poverty would be the amount of disposable income a family has after paying the mortgage, council tax, fuel bills and what not.

[saunaman]

But that still relates child poverty to net household income , what about all those other measures of child wellbeing such as feeling valued and secure , and having the confidence to tackle peers over their pathetic and shallow materialistic approach to life ? It takes a very strong individual young person to do that these days , and the media don't exactly help . That's where good parenting and mentorship come in - it's absolutely nothing about money .....

[Mister M]

I live on about 60% of median income & I don't consider my self in poverty. But then I don't have any children to look after.

 

Relative poverty is an important factor, but those other factors you mentioned: wellbeing, feeling valued and having confidence are probably more imprtant in the grand scheme of things.

As you say for a young person to turn their backs on the consumer goods which are supposed to give meaning to their lives is a big ask; especially when most adults wouldn't dream of doing so!

[mikem8634]

But that still relates child poverty to net household income , what about all those other measures of child wellbeing such as feeling valued and secure , and having the confidence to tackle peers over their pathetic and shallow materialistic approach to life ? It takes a very strong individual young person to do that these days , and the media don't exactly help . That's where good parenting and mentorship come in - it's absolutely nothing about money .....

 

I get your point about there being more important things in life than purely materialistic concerns but in this context (child poverty) the word poverty does relate directly to finances.

 

Definition of poverty

noun

[mass noun]

1 the state of being extremely poor:

thousands of families are living in abject poverty

the renunciation of the right to individual ownership of property as part of a religious vow.

2 the state of being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount:

the poverty of her imagination

 

 

Here is Barnardo's take on it -

http://www.barnardos.org.uk/what_we_do/our_projects/child_poverty/child_poverty_what_is_poverty.htm

[Mecky]

Broadly described as a child living in a household whose income is 60% or less than the average wage .....

 

Well in that case , most people of my age group were brought up in child poverty ! Second-hand clothes , second-hand Christmas presents ( yes we knew they were , but would never have kicked off about it for fear of hurting our parents ).

 

We were brought up properly . Showing love and providing childhood boundaries and freedoms were the greatest gifts my parents knew how to give , and material goods were an irrelevance . So how on earth can the new Archbishop dare speak about child poverty in purely material terms ? I'm not particularly religious , but I think us "plebs" could teach these arrogant religious figures a lesson in humility and basic humanity ??

 

That's a bit subjective isn't it?

[Ms Macbeth]

I think that a better definition of child poverty would be the amount of disposable income a family has after paying the mortgage, council tax, fuel bills and what not.

 

That doesn't take into account that some families will have different priorities and different abilities to manage on a limited income. Children in some 'poor' families will be well fed and looked after, others with the same, or even more, disposable income won't necessarily be as well cared for.

 

I've tried to work out what the lowest income on unemployment benefits would be for a family with children, but the DWP make it very complex. It would be easier to understand if examples of income and outgoings were shown.

[janie48]

Broadly described as a child living in a household whose income is 60% or less than the average wage .....

 

Well in that case , most people of my age group were brought up in child poverty ! Second-hand clothes , second-hand Christmas presents ( yes we knew they were , but would never have kicked off about it for fear of hurting our parents ).

 

We were brought up properly . Showing love and providing childhood boundaries and freedoms were the greatest gifts my parents knew how to give , and material goods were an irrelevance . So how on earth can the new Archbishop dare speak about child poverty in purely material terms ? I'm not particularly religious , but I think us "plebs" could teach these arrogant religious figures a lesson in humility and basic humanity ??

So the Archbishop speaks out against goverment cuts to benefits and upsets some people including that politician Mr Ian Duncan Smith himself a church goer apparently.

Well good for the Archbishop perhaps he has made those comments to draw attention to his new leadership,or maybe he is just actually genuinely concerned because he has been made aware of the hardships some families are experiencing, if not now in the near future.

[Anna B]

Broadly described as a child living in a household whose income is 60% or less than the average wage .....

 

Well in that case , most people of my age group were brought up in child poverty ! Second-hand clothes , second-hand Christmas presents ( yes we knew they were , but would never have kicked off about it for fear of hurting our parents ).

 

We were brought up properly . Showing love and providing childhood boundaries and freedoms were the greatest gifts my parents knew how to give , and material goods were an irrelevance . So how on earth can the new Archbishop dare speak about child poverty in purely material terms ? I'm not particularly religious , but I think us "plebs" could teach these arrogant religious figures a lesson in humility and basic humanity ??

 

I agree that having good and loving parents are riches indeed, and can make a wealth of difference in people's lives. I also grew up in similar circumstances and never considered myself poor, but then everyone around me lived similar lives and I wasn't aware of any other lifestyle.

 

Today however, that is very different to the point of people having their noses rubbed in it. People are judged these days by what they have rather than who they are. Indeed it could be argued these days that people who are poor because they are honest and decent are seen as mugs.

 

I also think children today suffer from having two parents who have to work constantly to make ends meet.

 

Times have changed, and definitions of poverty have changed. I think there is also spiritual poverty in a great many families which has nothing to do with religion.

[rodnreeluk]

The government's definition of child poverty is a load of cr*p. A child is not poor if it is loved, clothed and fed, irrespective of the household income. Two households may have vastly different incomes but children in the higher income household may well be "poorer". Much depends on how the parents choose to spend their time and money. This is completely disregarded in official figures. I can never understand how a child is officially classed as living in poverty when the parents can afford to drink, smoke, live on on ready meals, etc. It is not child poverty! It is parental irresponsibility!