Poverty, when it comes to our society != starvation.
Beyond starvation it's not a huge issue though. If you can afford to reasonable dress, feed and house your kids on your own then you aren't really poor. You may be poor in the relative sense, but not in any way that actually matters.
You say this as though parents on benefits are all utter wasters, or something. It's entirely possible to be a good parent, and to raise kids well, but not be able to support them independently.
Only because people like me and you make it possible them to do it whilst struggling to get ahead in live because of that burden. From my experience though, most of their children are raised poorly.
How common is situation #1? Link?
I'm speaking from personal experience as where I grew up it's extremely common. Less so now as the Government has been stamping down on it a bit, but then you just have to have another of claim that you're homeless and you'll still get what you want.
I'm happy to be proved wrong but I've never seen any such stats from the .gov.
You suggest taking kids away from parents, and putting them in care, but have you looked at the outcomes of the care system?!
I also suggested heavily investing in this area too. You can't reasonably do one without the other. Similarly if you were going to cut benefits scrounging overall, you'd probably need to invest heavily in policing, at least in the short term (and more importantly, you'd need to do this before cutting).
For what it's worth, I was raised by a single mother, and she needed benefits, even though she worked (when she could... once I, and my two brothers, were in school). It's not as though it led to a life of luxury, and she wasn't in that situation through choice or recklessness, I hasten to add. Now, all three of us are either at university or grad work. What would you have suggested for us? Would you have denied my mother benefits? Would you have put me, and my siblings, into care? If our situation was fine, and you're directing your ire towards 'scenario #1', how common is that?
I came from a mother on benefits though she was never single. Shes pretty much never worked a day in her life and my older brother has never done so either. He's over 30 now and is pulling well over national average scheming the benefits system. Its went on so long now I'm not even sure if its BS anymore, I think he's actually made himself sick from his work dodging antics.
My steps dads oldest is in prision. He too has never worked a day in his life. They were all in that situation from choice and it's a common theme from the east end of Glasgow and the council estates I have grew up in. Thats not to say I don't love my parents, I do, but objectivly they made some crappy choices and I had a fairly bad childhood for several reasons (some that weren't via choice but that came later and is less relevant).
Anyway its not that I want children to have a crappy life. Its that I want parents in my mothers situation to make better choices so when they do have children they do a better job. Theres no carrot or stick under #1.
On a side note you mentioned it wasn't your Mums choice, so it's entirely possible she doesn't fit into the "benefits for lyfe y0" sub culture I'm talking about. I'm talking about a specific subset that its in my opinion a rot in society that we need to deal with but we'll forever be unable to do because of "think of the children".
Theres lot of ways to avoid tarring everyone with the same brush. Your husband dies after you have kids? Fair enough here are some dead husband benefits. You've worked every day of your adulthood paying into the system? Fair enough you've earned a little bit more leeway. You're willing to train and go to work? I'm happy for help with childcare (but you'll get a stern warning not to mess it up). You want to sit on your **** and not work because you have had a few kids or you won't be as well off? No. I'd take their kids off them. I really would.
