A lack of attention is also a form of neglect
At first glance it looks like a hopeless situation. A single mother who holds two jobs to make ends meet and therefore doesn’t pay enough attention to her child.
Is there another solution?
The social network
In the second video you can see another woman reaching out to Shirley. She sees how difficult things are for Shirley and proposes to have their children play together regularly. This will help to improve Shirley’s situation a bit. The gesture may seem small, but every step can help someone to finally break the vicious cycle.
Professional aid organizations
A care provider will try to have the client and people in her environment recognize goals and will provide support for achieving them. She is encouraged to look at the things that she does well, that she likes about herself and how, despite all the stress, she can chase her ideals.
Are you willing to reach out?
Government
The government also provides supporting measures.
There’s child benefit, for example, of 40 dollars per month. In January 2019, this amount will be increased to about 60 dollars per month. All parents and carers with children between the ages of 0 and 18 are entitled to child benefit, no matter what salary they earn. You can apply for it at https://english.rijksdienstcn.com/social-affairs-work/social-insurance/child-benefit
There’s also special social assistance. It's meant for people who are unexpectedly hit with a large expense that they are unable to pay. On a case-by-case basis, the social assistance staff will assess (during walk-in hours and through home visits) whether someone is entitled to receive it. An example would be if your fridge or washing machine breaks down and you don’t have money for a new one.
Or if you’re pregnant but have no money to buy baby clothes and accessories.
School supplies for children in secondary education are also covered by special social assistance. For children in primary education this falls under the responsibility of the public entities. You can apply for it on annual basis if you don’t earn more than 150% of the statutory minimum wage (WML). It is paid in the form of vouchers for uniforms, shoes, books, etc. See also: https://english.rijksdienstcn.com/social-affairs-work/social-relief/special-social-relief
If you’re pregnant, you are entitled to receive continued payment of 100% of your wages for 16 weeks. This is something that the employer doesn’t have to pay. The employer can claim reimbursement of these lost wages from SZW. Employees don't have to arrange this themselves. https://english.rijksdienstcn.com/social-affairs-work/social-insurance/maternity-leave/applying-for-maternity-leave
