Live webchat with NCT chief executive Belinda Phipps, Thurs 17 Sept, 1-2pm

[GeraldineMumsnet]

We're very pleased to welcome Belinda Phipps for a live webchat this Thursday.

Belinda has posted on threads discussing the NCT, eg this one in April. So we're glad she's coming on for a bit longer tomorrow and can respond to your comments and queries about the NCT.

We're going to send over any questions you've posted by the end of this afternoon for some advance answers, to leave as much time as possible for questions during the live chat.

Hope you can join us.

I suppose my point is that there must be some groups doing things to really make people welcome (simple things like having a welcomer at Bumps and Babes who will greet newcomers, find them someone to talk to, an easily finable contact on websites to email to check whether an event is on), make information about activities really accessible (again, good use of websites), get out and get involved with community groups, and wonder whether NCT HQ do their best to spread good practice.

CHILD Benefit

By nellyonthetelly said ?

In the past week the Labour Government, along with several other organisations (www.cnbc.com/id/32793527), has proposed scrapping Child Benefit. Will the NCT be taking a position opposing such a move?

Belinda says ?.

Child Benefit is a universal benefit which is easy to claim and recognition of the financial sacrifices taken by all families in bringing up children.

Replacing it by a means tested increase in, for example Working Families Tax Credits, would result in a loss in income, not just for higher earners, but also non-tax payers like the unemployed and those with difficulties in negotiating the complex process involved with claiming Tax Credits.

We will strongly oppose this as an attack on families and the poor. The government or any future govt which would find the possible savings proposed by the by the Institute of Directors and Taxpayers Alliance (not the govt) attractive - will try to frame it as an attempt to help poorer families at the expense of the well-off middle classes, but this is a cover. There is such pressure on cutting spend that targets are likely to be those that do not have the power to resist.

The NCT is a member of the Campaign to end child poverty (ECP). Child poverty is not inevitable, and progress has been made, but with one child in every three still experiencing poverty we have an urgent task on our hands.
for the answer on child poverty, NCT would support the position in the briefing at
www.cpag.org.uk/MakeChildBenefitCount/ChildBenefit_2.htm

We will express our opposition through this coalition
ECP believes that benefits and child tax credits provide indispensable help to families on low incomes and have been a driver behind the fall in child poverty so far. Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggests that by investing a further £4 billion in benefits and tax credits, the Government would reach its 2010 target and lift a million children out of poverty.
NB The recent proposals were made by the Institute of Directors and Taxpayers Alliance and are not Government proposals.

JustaboutAutumn, have you considered offering to help organise the group, and giving youself a role of introducing new people, showing them around, generally acting as the person who makes the toddler group friendlier? I bet they would say yes.

I agree MadBadandDangerousToKnow

I utterly fail to see the point of classes that fire women up to have a "good birth experience". Yes - teach them the facts. Yes - teach them to be forthright consumers of NHS services. Yes - teach them to self-advocate. But there is no point teaching them that sheer willpower alone will affect the outcome of their birth, unless there is proper evidence that backs up such a claim.

Hi there I'd liek to comment on a couple of things if that's ok -

"Members/Friends?"

I can't seem to find the orginal post on this, but i thought i might add my prespective if that's ok. I am a member of the NCT and I can see where you're coming from - I certainly see the NCT as a big part in me making friends after my children were born. I moved to a new area, knew no-one and found the NCT coffee mornings. From them I now have a lovely group of mom friends and i've been going to coffee most weeks for over 3 years now. I've even taken over the running of the coffee "rota". So for me i do see the NCT as a friend thing. And perhaps you do haev a point about the member bit - the wanting to get your money's worth.

Continuing to be a member -

Following on from the bit above - I found coffee mornings to be a real life-saver. I was alone with a small baby and got such friendship and support from my local group. They were instrumental in the success of me breastfeeding my 2nd child when i didn't succeed with my first.

I know how i felt, how much the NCT has meant for me and i would like to think i cold elp provide that for someone else. The NCT do so much good work for parents and their families - from classes - which they subsidise for lower income families, to free breastfeeding support. So many of the people that "work" for the NCT do it on a voluntary basis, they formally train their Breastfeeding Counsellors, who then work completely without pay. Helping the charity to do such things for me is worth it. I know that as long as i can afford it I will continue to support them. For me it's all about parents supporting each other, passing on as much help and support we can.

there is not enough volunteer support. For example getting people to deliver 70+ newsletters a quarter over a fairly large area

I have a good mind not to renew my membership next year and send the local branch £40 of stamps instead.

In areas where we have few volunteers and many parents wanting support then some vols do end up with a lot of load - but if you are delivering 70 n/ls - thats 70 people that could be helping - one hour a month per person - is better than one person doing 70 hours a month - our vols are fab - but sometimes feel diffident about asking others to help - and we prob havn't got that message accross enough - the stamps would be useful tho!!

Belinda

Hi

I rarely post to any forums but since completing antenatal classes 2.5 years ago have become an avid supporter of the NCT. I now host coffee mornings and held a Cheeky Monkeys Tea Party to raise some funds.

What the NCT did for me was to empower me enough to be able to write a birth plan and to understand what intervention meant. I was able to question to midwives during labour and to consider what I was being told.

I know that without my NCT classes I would have ended up with an epidural (to help my blood pressure . . . apparently!) and then with a C-section (rather than ventouse).

For me, this empowerment was the single most important thing I could have felt. I had information and the confidence to ask questions.

My antenatal teacher definitely didn't come with a pre-set agenda. The friends I made during antenatal classes are really close friends now and we all support one another - class, location and careers (or otherwise) aside.

on the mag and other info

We want the information we provide to be relevant to all parents.

We welcome comments and opinions on our magazine for members New gen and our magazine for parents to be Bumps and Babies! Please send your comments to [email protected] or [email protected]

Exactly, Morningpaper.

I was extremely well-informed and had a fantastic birth plan, but once the consultant said "you've got pre-eclampsia and we need to insert a central line in case you have a heart attack and have to be resuscitated" I knew the birth wasn't going to conform to my plan!

I see what you mean justaboutautumn. But be part of the change you want to see? If you join and are friendly, then others will see the group as friendly, the NCT in your area gets a better name, more good volunteers join etc. etc. All gets better!

Anyway, I'll pipe down now, I think we're meant to be listening to Belinda

I'd love to volunteer too - but I'm trapped in the circle that I can't access any of their current events, so I can't exactly send an email into the ether (as you can't seem to contact my local group in any direct way) to say 'Hi, you don't know me, but I think you need to do something I can go to, shall I organise it ?' and then expect a load of strangers to turn up

Hi, I've come to this chat late (almost missed it!), I'm another NCT volunteer, and would like to echo the member/supporter confusion. People seem to resent us fundraising when they've just spent £30-40 on membership. It's difficult to explain that not only do we see none of that membership fee on a local level, we also send the bulk of the funds we raise on as well.

The 'sharing' of branch funds has caused a real dip in volunteer moral - last year we didn't spend a penny on local projects, just expenses and the rest went to head office.

We do run local projects though! They're all free or self-funding though.

justaboutautumn and others

We do welcome and want vols - and I am really realy sorry if you have not had the kind of welcome that you needed.

best way is to get in and change it from the inside - its a very grass roots thing NCT - so it chnanges according to whose in there - and if you want to make the NCT in a new image - then you can set up a branch - we want to have lots of small branches - so if the big branch near you aren't welcoming you then get in touch - enquires:nct.org.uk and set up soemthing new. I'll come to your launch branch meeting if you like.

Belinda

Agree that the funding issue causes problems - esp given that for most new NCT members, they have forked out course fees + membership. And can assume that has all gone to the local branch...

will you be doing any work to break down the next Infant Feeding Survey into "bite-sized chunks" for easier consumption (like the stats page I asked about earlier)?

We anaylse and digest lots of research, policy information etc. and put it on our website and circulate it so volunteers, workers, campaigners can use it.

Its all here at: www.nct.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/policy

Also, if you join our activist network NCT Active you?ll get access to lots more! www.nct.org.uk/active

Belinda

Yes I agree with you autumn

Morningpaper/ Madtoknow,

Hi ladies - you know i went to watch some NCt antenatal classes a few months ago - i wached the whole set and i have to say the teacher i watched did non of the - nature birth is the only way stuff.

The teacher was very clear about the fast that there's no right way to birth, you do what you want - have as little or as much help/intervention as you need/want.

She also prepared them excellently for things like c-sections - even doing a little mock up of how mnay people would be in the room - to try and take the fear out of it and prepare her parents for what could happen. She gave them lots of coping strategies , but at no time did she try to push them one way or the other.

I think one of the BIG problem is that the very MENTION of the NCT has a kind of gut reaction from some mums : either (a) don't remind me of my failure at my SHITTY INSTRUMENTAL BIRTH that breathing DID NOT HELP or (b) Don't remind me of those godawful 40-year-old women with their own farmhouses and home-baked cookies that I couldn't get away from fast enough.

Justabout - I volunteer with a branch in a socially diverse area, it has taken 2-3 years of hard work to get the basics of the branch in place. Only now do we have enough volunteers to do serious outreach work - it really is all down to volunteers, their commitment and just having enough.

OK, another research type question. I heard you defending An classes on R4 after the swedish (I think) report came out suggesting no difference in birth outcomes for those who attended detailed/more 'natural' birth classes vs those who attended briefer AN classes.

What do you think drove those findings, and did make you question the NCT AN class set up?