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Nick Clegg gives speech on family and fatherhood

27 July 2009

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Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, gave a speech on the family on 8 July at Relate.

He said that it was important to support family relationships of all kinds and in all family formations.  He talked about the need at the present time to support relationships under stress from unemployment, repossession . . . → Read More: Nick Clegg gives speech on family and fatherhood

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Interesting on-line conversation about parental separation and child poverty

20 July 2009

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My last blog is the first blog of mine that has stimulated discussion on-line, with particularly insightful comment by Karen Woodall who leads the Centre for Separated Families.  I am so excited about this that all I want to do in my blog this week is recommend that people read the comments on . . . → Read More: Interesting on-line conversation about parental separation and child poverty

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Fathers are a resource in the fight to end child poverty (again)

10 July 2009
Child Poverty downing St 7/11/07In an earlier blog, Fathers are a resource in the fight to end child poverty, I wrote an open letter to the Minister for Children.  I made three points:

  • how fathers work is important to children in poverty; employment offices should engage with men with caring responsibilities as they do with women; at present only women are assumed to have caring responsibilities
  • the so-called “non-resident” or “absent” parent (who is often neither) needs support both in delivering a caring role and a financial role; at present he is not designated at all as a parent, except when it comes to enforcing his financial contribution
  • I proposed a new way of considering child poverty, looking at the earning and caring role of both parents (whether living together or not)

This week I got a reply from the Minister for Children – here is a copy.

It describes the work to promote engagement with fathers by Local Authority services and Continue reading Fathers are a resource in the fight to end child poverty (again)

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We need time to see our children growing up

5 July 2009

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I recently blogged about the need to find the space and time simply to contemplate the series of precious and never-returning moments of our children growing up.  Like this morning being chased around the kitchen by my daughter brandishing a vacuum cleaner.

This is a favourite poem of mine, which wonderfully describes the . . . → Read More: We need time to see our children growing up

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