A DAD-OF-THREE on benefits admitted that work is “not in his psyche”.

But Matt Allen, who lives in social housing with his wife and their three children, said he is not abusing the benefits system.

Matt works a few hours each week as a yoga teacher and says he has “no intention” of finding full-time paid work.

In the latest episode of documentary series Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, on the W channel, the presenter stays with the Allen family at their three-bedroom council house in the Queen’s Park area of Brighton.

Matt, 35, and Adele, 34, tell her they let all their children co-sleep with them, decide what they eat and can decide their own bedtime.

The children are not allowed mainstream medicine such as antibiotics and vaccinations.

The Argus:

Eldest son Ulysses, eight, cannot write his own name. And Ostara, four, is mostly still in homemade nappies.

The family are known for their “off-grid” style of parenting - where they let the child decide what to do and made headlines when their daughter Ostara had a wee live on This Morning on ITV when she was aged one.

The couple, who said they were kicked out of their last house in Hove after neighbours complained, also previously boasted of leaving their eldest son’s placenta attached for days before throwing it off Brighton Palace Pier.

Matt, who battles an autoimmune disease, says it is more important that he and his wife are at home with their children rather than working.

However he said he is not abusing the system because his family has a “minimalist impact on society”.

In the documentary Stacey asks: “How do you do it all Matt, is it all benefits?”

He responded: “Mostly, but we claim the very bottom line.”

The Argus:

The documentary features a scene on the beach

When asked whether he felt he was taking advantage of the social system he said: “Do we feel as if we’re abusing the system? I really don’t think we are, because we have a minimalist impact on society in many respects.

“In regards to social systems - schools and the NHS - we save money on that. Adele didn’t have births at hospital so we saved money on that. So in our own unique weird and wonderful way we balance the book.”

Stacey questions Matt on why other parents work to provide for their children.

When asked what he would say to them, Matt, who claims £190 a week of benefits, said: “Spend more time with your kids - it’s simple. I have no intention of working a 45 or 50 hour week - it’s just not in my psyche.”

At one point in the documentary their son Ulysses is seen eating a meal of raw mushroom, raw Brussels sprouts and crisps.

The Argus:

The Argus:

Matt also confessed that he believes in “fasting” and admitted that if there was a day his children decided they didn’t want to eat anything, he would not insist they did.

At one point during the hour long episode, the children have a mixture of pizza and ice cream for breakfast.

Adele seemed relaxed about Ulysses’ lack of literacy skills at the age of eight.

She said: “What’s it stopping him from doing other than meeting test requirements?

“I don’t know any home educated children who go past the teenage skills and don’t pick up the literacy skills.

“At the moment he’s eight years old and it’s absolutely fine for him to take his time picking up those skills - so it’s not urgent right now.”

Adele also said the family do not enforce teeth brushing, saying: “We do put toothbrushes out in the bathroom but not fluoridated toothpaste and we do not enforce teeth brushing.”

Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over airs on Wednesdays at 10pm on W Channel.