Live webchat with David Cameron - this Thursday 19th, 1.45 pm

[JustineMumsnet]

Hello all - David Cameron is coming on to Mumsnet to answer your questions this Thursday at 1.45-2.45. Please post advance questions here if you can't make it on Thursday. (And please read our Webchat guidelines above before posting ie only one question each). Many thanks.

Cameron says that a Tory Government would promote Mumsnet

"He said that health visitors would be encouraged to tell parents about websites like Mumsnet and that information about these resources would be made available in all maternity units, early years settings and family information services."

Do the Tories think: "Oooh! Girls like Health Visitors! We'll get more of them!"

He still hasn't answered the questions about carers.

err, ok, maybe I'm naive here, but wouldn't it be better to concentrate on getting HVs and others to give out good advice, rather than delegating the issue to a load of amateurs on the web?

I mean MN gives out great advice, but it shouldn't be our job to fill in where the state is slipping up.

Perhaps they should start promoting dating websites in a bid to get all single parents back into marriage, or giving free membership to weightwatchers to bring down obesity levels

Training? Don't be ridiculous, HMM!

definitely too logical hoochiemomma

But I think my dating website idea has wings, don't you reckon?

It could be like having to prove you've applied for x jobs to get your jobseeker's allowance - if you wanted single parent benefits you'd have to prove you'd been on a certain number of blind dates that week.

[note to any journalists reading this - I am being ironic so please don't quote this as "a mumsnetter says..."]

Christ almighty. Drive to encourage "social action" as an alternative to "state action"? In other words "we can't afford to spend money on this stuff, especially with raising the Inheritance Tax threshold and all, so perhaps you ladies can just do it yourselves - so much more economical".

Absolutely starlight, totally agree with you- it has taken me 4 yrears fighting but yesterday I got a commitment from carer's support to get me a carers assessment; in that time I have almost lost my marriage, my sanity and come close to putting ds1 in care.damn right it ain't working!

I'm feeling slightly sick at the amount of sexist twats that are out there. I know they are out there, but seeing it in black and white ...
Speaking of ambushes, this smacks of an ambush to get us all back in the kitchen where we belong.

I am not middle class, I live in a rural area and don't even like cappuccino. I loathe Boden. Sometimes the D in DH does not mean 'dear'. Although I am yet to view my mn name as ironic, I am not stupid either.

Seeing that we are silly mummies who do not deserve the vote as we can't possibly understand what all the big clever men are talking about only makes me want to get out there and burn my bra. And learn more so that I can vote with even more knowledge about what I am voting for.

Are there any reports on this that aren't taking the piss? That might think we did ok?

You know Hv's get rubbish wages don't you? Not that, that should matter to doing a good job mind. They want them all to have a Masters soon!

I have a great, well informed hv so I'm lucky. Debbie, if you're reading looking forward to baby cafe next week!

I think we ask to much of too few people.

What was it Blair said:

Education, education, EDUCATION.

Let's get our hv's/mid-wifes/hospitals educated on bf'ing. Let's educate out children and soon to be parents with actual facts. Let's try to be inclusive.

Let's get the people who are 'just doing their job' to see the cases in front of them as human beings not whatever sn that person has! Let's get people who actually care into jobs they can do some good in.

And instead of saying I/we can't do that because of x, y or z let's break the bloody barriers down so that we can accomplish things.

oh dear.

TootingPopularFrontTiggaxx

Sorry Dawntigga but that isn't true.

Health Visitor's starting salary is 4,000 more than midwives, so why don't midwives raise a when HV's do?

Does anyone know about HV training? How long is it, do they follow a national curriculum?

What is strange is that there is such a huge difference in advice being handed out, depending on which HV is asked.

I do hope that some of the journalists pick up the SN topic as 'newsworthy' rather than the fact that we were infiltrated by labour activists.

Looking through the webchat, there were very few names that I did not recognise. And the ones that I did not recognise were mainly defending DC not attacking him.

Missed that first time, got it now thanks. Ok so there's one.
But still...

There is an element of that already, there was a Surestart HV in the office next tomine and she was lovely, but given the caseload she had, breastfeeding wasn't her biggest priority (though she did help establish some great peer support groups), we were based in an area with a deprivation index estate.

I am concerned about a lot DC proposes, but a hige worry for me becuase of my background is his insistence on the invovlement of the charity sector. AS soemone who used to have responsibilty for recruiting volunteers into a parent mentor scheme I could tell him now that the people are not out there. It's one of the reasons the scheme I was on no longer exists- funding was absed on volunteer recruitment and family pick up, and the targets were insurmountable so they went under.

Knowing our vollies,amany of them would have walked had we suggested they do what is going to be unpaid socialservices and health work.

I suppose for me when I eventually (if) get back to work it's good newws in that I have the experience of the job and if the area expands..... but it simply isn't a state solution. Our vollies were great but I frequently ahd to pull them from famillies that were complex, or disinclined to access support properly and that often fell to me. Remembering my caseloads we already picked up almost every suitable family, which would mean that the extras referred would have been unsuitable- the SSD onitoring we used to get fobbed off with or whatever. A serious concern really.
Plus when we had famillies that presented differences (am thinking immigrants) we couldn't get anyone to agree to take them on- the qhole reason I left, because of the obvious glaring gaps for themost vulnerable.

Provides a whole basis for welfare collapse IMVHO.

HVs and MWs earn the same in my area - from 24k (full-time salary) to 32k.

I think it would be great if we could give Justine and Carrie a bit more help in developing the good name and integrity of MN.

Here are the webchat rules as posted at the top of the thread under "here".

Perhaps for the next webchat we could try hard to stick to them?!

"To allow as many folks as possible to be involved, please restrict your questions to one per member plus a follow-up question if appropriate, once you've had a response. (NB don't even think about name changing to ask another, we'll be watching!).

Please keep your question reasonably brief (we'll not doing a word count but it will increase your chance of getting an answer, we suspect, if you don't bang on for paragraphs).

With the best will in the world, guests can't always get through every question, but we make every effort to bring common themes to their attention. Please don't be too disappointed if your specific question doesn't get answered and do try not to keep posting "What about me?".

Obviously you're free to voice your opinion, but do be civil/polite - please afford our guests the same cordiality you would if they stopped by your own house.

Thanks v much,
MNHQ"