Welfare Payments and Truancy

[bella]

From Susan Wight of HEN via email today:
The federal government has introduced a controversial bill to link welfare payments to school attendance. They intend to trial this system in WA and NT before rolling it out in other states. This should have no effect at all on registered home educators but will be a problem for unregistered families if this plan proceeds as they stand to lose their centrelink payments.

Relevant news articles:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/27/2347806.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/25/2345653.htm
http://optuszoo.news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=620741&_cobr=optus

[Dani]

"What are they going to do about the children that aren't coming from low-income families or families on income support?"

I agree with that, what are they going to do about that, its not just those children who come from families who are on centrelink payments that dont go to school. They're just making it sound like those famillies who are are the bad parents in this case and I find that really offensive.

Whether a child goes to school or not should not be a condition to recieve a centrelink benefit. Its just stupid, you cant force a child to go to school.

I could go on and on about this but im at work and i have to be nice to the customers and this will just get me angry lol

[Ayla]

I found this article too:

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23466348-2,00.html


Parents to be jailed in truancy crackdown
By Simon Benson
April 01, 2008 02:15pm
Article from: The Daily Telegraph

PARENTS who repeatedly fail to ensure their children attend school will face jail time as part of a crackdown on truancy.

For the first time, powers will be granted to the New South Wales Department of Education to ask for court orders forcing parents to enrol their children at school.

And magistrates will be empowered to impose jail sentences for parents of habitual truants and fine them up to $10,000.

In a further plank to a major education reforms, which began earlier this year with the lifting of the school age to 16, the State Government will beef up laws to ensure all children in NSW are enrolled in school, and punish the parents of habitual truants.

NSW Premier Morris Iemma, who announced the reforms today, said it was time that the issue of school enrolments and truancy became one of parental responsibility.

The new laws include:

* Allowing independent medical experts to asses if a child is too sick to be enrolled;

* New powers to the Department of Education to seek court orders to enforce children to be enrolled;

* Provision for home instruction to children too sick to attend;

* Issuing court orders to force parents of truants to undergo drug rehabilitation;

* Requirements that non-Government schools to advise of unsatisfactory attendance and;

* Providing jail terms for parents who flout court orders.

"We'll take action against parents who fail to either enrol their children in school or ensure they attend regularly," Mr Iemma said.

[Dani]

I still think this is stupid, but i also think that they should just concentrate on those children whose attendence records are already low.

Jail time for parents how riduculous, whats wrong with just handing out fines? I know theres a small percentage of parents out there that unfortunately dont give a crap what their kids get up to, and those are the ones that need something done about, but what about those parents who try everything to get their kids to go to school, but the kids just dont want to? Of course its their fault :mad

I'll stop going on about this now lol

[Quickening]

Der I just posted this same thing not realising someone had already posted it! Could admin delete that post?