Assess the argument that state policy has largely failed to protect the institution of the family

The child benefit act also affects the institution of family. A child has two parents and if the parents are separated then the parent who takes care of the child full time receives payment from the government for the child’s care. This is almost an encouragement of couples with children to separate because they will receive more money if they do. In some cases this act is the cause of breakups because sometimes people care more about the money than they do about each other and sometimes fight for custody of the child/children purely so they can obtain the money which is meant for the welfare of the child. As a result more and more families are breaking down and separating partnerships with only one parent taking custody of the child. This is because if the custody of the child/children is shared between both parties the child benefit will not be issued because the child still has both parents providing for them so the money is not received. This has negative effects on the children because as a result of one parent wanting the money they are not always putting the child first and are causing them to lose out emotionally with the bond from the other parent.

The child tax credit act however disproves this argument because it encourages the family to stay together. The government provide families in which both partners are still together with payment to care for their child/children if both partners are in paid employment and on a low salary. This is encouraging the institution of family because although if they receive payment because of low salary they are still preserving marriage and more importantly family in order to preserve the connections and bonds a stable family unit provides. This payment not only urges families to stay together and work on having a strong relationship but also urges families to consider the potential consequences upon the children if the couple were to separate.

The think family policy which says “think child, think parent, think family” is aiming to improve the outcomes for families in which one or both parents and one or more children have mental health problems. The affected families all over the country will welcome this policy greatly as it can provide a better life and a happier one for those involved. In some cases, the parent with mental health problems may not be able to fully care for themselves and this responsibility may be passed on to the children as a result. This is also the case for the parents as well. This meaning that for those children they are 100% devoted to helping their parents and it takes over their lives. With this new policy it means that not only will the family be able to ensure the affected person will be getting good support and care, it also means that they can have a life outside of the home situation meaning that children can go out with friends because they do not have to worry about their parent/s, and that parents can socialise and have some time out knowing that the child will be properly looked after.

Michael Gove and the government are planning to build around 261 new schools which are aiming to be 15% smaller than those that were built by the labour government. This will have impact on families who are just starting out those with young children now and more so people who have children in the future will be affected by this. This new build could affect families greatly because with smaller buildings there is less room to hold pupils and as a result this will mean that schools cannot take in as many pupils as other already built schools. This will affect families greatly because they will now face even more struggle to get their children into schools in the surrounding area and ultimately into a school at all. This could mean that for many parents their children from a young age are at a disadvantage because they have to travel to a school far away meaning they have very few or no existing bonds and for some may mean that they do not attend school at all because of the difficulties.