Giving to a person begging on the Underground

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An article in The Birmingham Mail said that many "beggars" were going home most days with about eight hundred pounds. Hmm, just going to get my coat out of the rag-bag, see you later.

I give, I don't know the persons needs or what put them in the position to ask for money , could be greed but could be desperate need

The mother did well. She showed compassion and encouraged her daughter to do the same. The rest just doesn't matter.

This is an interesting moral discussion, whether hypothetical or not. To my mind, the Mother did the correct thing in showing her child that some people are in a bad place and need help. The SW, professional or volunteer, was wrong, firstly for breaching client confidentiality, secondly for 'telling off' the woman who gave money, it is not hers or anyone else's business how people donate, and how people spend the received donations, and finally for watching this happening and not identifying herself to the man begging.
I don't give to anyone begging, I do however give to the Salvation Army and donate toiletries and such to the local Open Reach centre.

But why would they do it without any expectation of reward, obi, when they could use that time looking for paid employment? They don't usually ask for money - ok, they do have some sort of collection tin, hat, whatever, but there's no pressure, no actual request.

They give a performance for which, if you enjoy it, you can show your appreciation by making a donation. Some of the street buskers are extremely talented, and passersby feel very lucky to have been treated to a 'free' show. It's up to them whether they give anything or not.

In which case, why do buskers ask for money? I cant see that it is expensive to stand there with their instruments.

Maggiemaybe - Absolutely!

I've never thought of buskers as beggars They're offering a service that we can pay for or not. Admittedly the quality of that service varies from place to place. The buskers in Leeds centre are so good, I can only think they have to get through an audition process before they're allowed to perform

Plus there are rogue workers in every profession.

Buskers are not beggars? I didnt know that.

I'm prepared to believe the incident happened as described, but I don't believe the 'social worker' was in fact a genuine social worker. Firstly because she would have known her behaviour was unprofessional and very probably a sackable offence, and secondly because if the beggar was indeed one of her clients he would surely have recognised her and moved on to the next carriage.
The young mother was teaching her children compassion, a wonderful and valuable lesson to the young. Let them grow up before they learn cynicism.

If it is true, perhaps the 'social worker' was an unqualified support worker or volunteer, who didn't behave as she should have done.

Sorry Robert I don't believe this is anything other than a hypothetical situation. If I'm wrong, I apologise. If true, the social worker breached confidentiality and I struggle to believe any qualified/supervised sw would behave in this way. She would have been much more likely to have spoken to the man, even if just to say hello, than to creep up to someone afterwards in the way described.

I rarely give to beggars though I do give to graffiti artists for example. I buy the big issue, though there was a recent thread suggesting Big Issue patches have been taken over by organised crime, don't know if this is true.

When I often travelled to London and was having a cigarette just outside Paddington Station, I was once approached by a young man claiming to be homeless and asking for money. I refused, but said I would gladly go into M&S, just a few yards away and buy him a sandwich of his choice, he scuttled off at quite a speed!

Buskers etc. Yes. Beggars. No. Advice is to give to a charity not an individual.
Did you see in the newspapers last week about the " beggar" who had an Audi TT around the corner?. Not the first time I have read something similar

I've often given coins to my children and grandchildren for a busker or street artist to put in their guitar case or hat.

I prefer to buy the Big Issue. If somone looks in a bad way I'll get them food and drink. Crisis does a lot of good work not just at Christmas.
I was pleased when I happened, one cold night, to see the local Outreach team in the city centre giving out food and hot drinks and taking time to talk to those who came for it. A very good and realistic team who make lives a little more bearable and know whose needs are genuine although they don't refuse anyone. They advise against giving money.

The social worker, as Anya posted, could have simply greeted the man and most certainly was unprofessional in discussing her client.

Crossed posts Anniebach.

The SW was guilty of professional misconduct and could be sacked and struck off for breaching confidentiality.

All the others involved acted kindly and with good intentions. I see nothing wrong with the mother encouraging her child to interact with another adult when she was nearby. It is only in this way that children learn how to negotiate their way in the world and to keep themselves safe - not by us wrapping them in cotton wool.

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Surely we should think it is marvellous in 21st century life that people have housing assistance, a flat and lots of assistance if they need it. Sad? Gosh no.

The SW breached confidentiality - absolutely wrong.

The mother was fine to do as she did - no act of compassion is ever truly wasted.

It is so sad that we have all had to become so cynical about those seeking our help because of the realities of 21st century life.

A gift to someone begging does not come with strings attached - we cannot dictate how it is spent - we may have our concerns, but we do not know so cannot judge.

There are good reasons why begging is criminalised the primary one being protection of the innocent. Some begging is done by gangs to flush out people who would be easy targets for greater crime. Look at https//:en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Begging and although that is quite a bit of reading it will give much to think about. Sorry I don't know how to put the link properly on the technology I am using but that is the address on the bottom of the page.
Even in the middle ages it was recognised that begging was an unsafe practice so tokens were issued to show entitlement to beg and to ensure only those who had good grounds for begging were permitted to do so. That was before the welfare state of course so there was no other recourse except begging.
I was recently reading on an ancestry website of someone who was sentenced to hard labour for defrauding the workhouse system so clearly nothing new! In that particular case the benefits stolen by deception should have gone to someone else who needed them. It matters not that the thief thought their need was great enough to do such a thing, it was not honest.
Sadly parents have to teach their children the perils that surround us all. There have been many reported cases where begging as a profession has supported comfortable if not lavish lifestyles -again just put in begging as a profession on wiki. Many people who give to beggars have a much poorer lifestyle than those who beg.

Agreed, Anya. The SW was making herself complicit with the beggar's actions.

Both right. Situations dont have to be either or. Why should they be? People can both be wrong. And people can both be right.
People come at things from different angles and different backgrounds, motives etc.