Mumsnet campaigns and alliances

[JustineMumsnet]

Morning Mumsnetters,
Following on from something someone suggested a while back, we want to think about how we might use our MN muscle to campaign on things that matter to us - like miscarriage, breastfeeding support, premature sexualisation of children (toddler thongs) etc and also how we go about building links with voluntary sector organisations to increase that muscle. Policywonk and Onebat, dynamic duo that they are - have rashly agreed to collect our thoughts/help out a bit with organisation - so we'd be very grateful if you could let us have your two penneth worth on any and all of this stuff.
Many thanks.

[tatt]

Riven it would hit us too as we don't have good public transport. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made.

However before any new policy is introduced people spend time working out who suffers, who gains and how to minimise it. So you could spend some of the revenue generated from those who previously evaded tax on compensating families with disabled children. I'll just accept I need to pay more

[edam]

B/f support would be a goodie - there is a HUGE problem here that policy makers either ignore or don't know about. We should tell them loud and clear that most docs, nurses, HVs and midwifes know fuck-all about b/f, have no or very little education and training in b/f, are all too ready to peddle myths and are regularly undermining women who wish to b/f, causing them to stop before they actually want to.

Look at the figs about women who start b/f but have moved to bottles by six weeks... this would help what, 75% of new mothers?

And currently policies manage to simultaneously let down women who wish to b/f while pissing off those who move to bottles thanks to lack of support or choose to bottle feed in the first place.

All the evidence is there about the importance of b/f, NHS apparently believes in this evidence - yet govt. is doing eff all about it beyond lecturing women, and state employees are actively stopping women b/f (although that's not what they believe they are doing). Shocking state of affairs.

Could team up with NCT, La Leche League, perhaps RC Midwives if we persuade them we are looking for funding for CPD rather than bashing them?

[edam]

(And my take on a b/f campaign would not be about lecturing mothers, it would be about training/educating health professionals to support mothers INSTEAD of lecturing us.)

Although nappies is also good, of course.

[paolonutrini]

agree about the products often being crap, and this is a potential problem, where will the funding for extra nappies come from. it's all very well abolishing the 4 nappy rule but if it doesn't come along with any extra funding for continence services then does that mean fewer types of products or even worse quality?

As far as I am aware the continence service will not provide pull ups at all in my area, the continence nurse told me that "nobody needs pull ups". But if you have an older, mobile, child with severe learning disability, who can't understand enough to cooperate or even keep still when you try to change them, then really you do need them. But they cost practically twice as much as normal pads. Also, round here they are very fond of the large sanitary towel style pads held in place with net knickers, which are utterly, utterly useless for somebody who is doubly incontinent, but they are cheaper. No wonder wheelchair services are so keen on the wipe clean plastic seat covers.

[AortaBeTidying]

Not a small campaign but a BIG one....COnsistency nationally wrt to antenatal and postnatal care which would include miscarriage, breast Vs bottle etc

[2shoes]

back to nappies
why can't they scrap the supplying of them and just give an extra allowamce?
could be added to DLA so no extra people needed. then parents could go to asda/tesco or whatever and buy the product they want.

lease not more BF stuff

[onebatmother]

[2shoes]

riven you have to go to one of those disability shops

[tatt]

what about being online, like these www.gompels.co.uk/product_info.php/products_id/6515

[Aubergines]

I am coming to this thread rather late but I just want to say that I think it is a great idea to harness mumsnet's power for some targeted campaigns.

The nappy one sounds like the right kind of thing.

I am reaalllyyy trying to think of something targeted and achievable that is clever and appropriate but which nobody has yet mentioned. Sadly I am failing... There is the old feminist favourite cause - the injustice of VAT on sanitary products. But nobody seems to care about that anymore especially since it was cut to 5% in 2001.

My personal campaign would be against state schools whose entrance policy discriminates according to religious belief (or lack of it). I do not understand how that is acceptable in an age where the state cannot discriminate in the provision of any other service on the basis of religion. Why is it OK that my child cannot go to her local school because we do not subscribe to certain religious doctrines? The current Equality Bill which is before Parliament would be the perfect vehicle for outlawing school entrance requirements based on religion. However, I appreciate that much of mumsnet would disagree with me on this one so it is not the right kind of subject. We need something unifying.

Right, am off to try and think harder.

[NormaStanleyFletcher]

A random one here, but could we have all newborns checked for tongue-tie. in with all the other checks they get, it shouldn't be a biggy.

Lots of feeding problems caused by that one I hear (anecdotal)

[penona]

Have been looking through this thread and think it is great! Fab idea to harness all these diverse thoughts and opinions and do some good while we are mn-ing.

I am constantly ranting to anyone who will listen about recycling. I don't understand why companies are allowed to use packaging that can't be recycled. Or why some councils collect some things and others don't. Surely every council should collect anything that can be recycled, and products should not be sold in unrecyclable packaging. Grrrr.

I also rant alot about faith schools aubergine but am not sure we'd get a good consensus on that one.

And I rant about the war in Afghanistan. And expansion of Heathrow airport. But possibly not very Mumsnet-centric.

In fact if I could do something useful with all my ranting then DH would be thrilled not to have to hear it any more

[penona]

Oh and I also think the Health Visitor system, from what I have experienced of it (and talking to other mums, but mostly in my area so same service) is in desperate need of a rethink. It could be an amazing source of support, encouragement, information gathering and provision. But it seems patchy, out of date, and thus a total waste of resources. I am not sure what the answer is (more money probably!), but there does often seem to be complaints about HV on here.

[choosyfloosy]

penona, i think personally that there needs to be a bit of time with the new HV system (supposedly more resources to more vulnerable parents and fewer universal visits to all parents/children) pans out, before campaigns about it.

[2shoes]

we didn't either riven(well a brief one, but she soon disapeared)

[tatt]

another one on the sexualising of children .....schools do not have appropriate filtering software. I know that is extremely hard to set up a system that is teenager proof but it should be possible to set up systems that protect up to year 8 and that permit different levels of access for different age groups. I would also like access to an affordable system for use at home. I can simply not buy thongs for toddlers but I can't keep my children off the net when they need it for homework.

On the links with voluntary organisation - I would have thought you only need to look at what organisations are recommended here by mumsnetters. If you approach them and they can't see the advantages of working with a site like this then they are too stupid to work with. As you wouldn't have time to work with many organisations you might like to ask for volunteers as mumsnet liasion person for a specific organistion.