Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Politics
Original poster

Sure Start and communty midwife groups being shut down

81 replies

mockingbird1 · 27/01/2011 19:41

If Sure Start centres and local childrens centres run by community midwifes are being shut down at the end of March what on earth are new mums going to do and how are they supposed to meet other mums in their areas? I have started going to some local baby groups and they have been a lifeline for me- without these facilities surely the levels of post natal depression will rise, or is this a sympton of decisions being made yet again by men who have never sat in the house day after day with no-one but a small baby to look at... Health visitors are already over stretched and GPs are not intersted in having a chat so it can get pretty lonely as a new mum. Surely I am not alone in being worried about this? Or do the government have an alternative plan that I dont know about- if so can someone fill me in please!

OP posts:
atomicdust · 27/01/2011 23:30

no home-start has a mix of volunteers and paid staff, and costs a whopping £37M a year to the tax payer

mylifewithstrangers · 27/01/2011 23:33

When did I mention research? I said an article, and I linked to it. The basis of it is a 'government-commissioned report' that was led by Graham Allen.

And I think the premise behind the idea is that a little goverment 'hand-holding' at this early stage will lead to a lot less need to do so in the future.

mamatomany · 27/01/2011 23:33

Home start is a nice theory but needs to come with a government health warning, you're opening your door to a lot of judgement and intervention at a time when you are most likely to be vulnerable and whilst the people out delivering home start are indeed volunteers most are doing so as a stepping stone to a paid role and HS have plenty of staff on the payroll too.
Some of which are social workers, i found it all very under hand.

atomicdust · 27/01/2011 23:35

we all know that prevention is best and that investment in early years is sound....but then Graham Allen 's report suggest some "good efficient cost effective charities"......to use public funds

EightiesChick · 27/01/2011 23:35

Does anyone have a link for reports on this? I can't find any - only for older articles speculating.

EightiesChick · 27/01/2011 23:36

By 'this' I mean on the decision to close centres.

cat64 · 27/01/2011 23:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

atomicdust · 27/01/2011 23:38

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet.

atomicdust · 27/01/2011 23:39

local community initiatives are always best...but they do not ge much publicity / busy doing work instead of PR....

hsjfdk · 28/01/2011 09:28

mamatomany - homestart doesn't employ social workers - not sure why you're under that impression?

Hopelesslydisorganised · 28/01/2011 09:36

My local SureStart runs:

Speech and Language support
Teen parent parenting courses
Outreach workers for home support
Postnatal depression support groups
Feelings and wishes groups for children who have witnessed domestic violence.
Domestic violence ouytreach support for women
Play support and advice for parents
Fathers groups
Citizens Advice support for debt and budgeting.

..... and that is not an exhaustive list. In particular the domestic violence based support is well attended (sadly) as well as the post natal depression support. How sad if we were to lose all of this to save money. It's a false economy anyway because it will end up costing more without the support.

mamatomany · 28/01/2011 10:08

Our local home start had 2 uni students who were planning to be to be social workers doing their placement year with them under the guidence of a qualified social worker who was employed by HS as she was the one who interviewed me, I got that impression because they told me so.

cazzybabs · 28/01/2011 10:12

yes it is the job of the state. good pre-school care/education is crucial for narrowing social divide and helping all children reach their potential. Money does not make you a good parent - everyone needs access to these services

WorzselMummage · 28/01/2011 10:23

mamatomany Thu 27-Jan-11 22:44:44
"We have day centers for the elderly who have had 40 years to make friends and have pissed off all their family have none so why not some provision for mums"

Seriously ?

You think mums with fully working bodies and brains are more important than vulnerable infirm elderly people ?

The council here have today announced that theyare ceasing to fund the local elderly supported meeting/lunch place with no provision for anything else.

I'd rather the council funded that than a tea group for mums who are actually capable of helping themselves!

The one and only time I went to a sure start meet I got given a bloody massage! Hardly essential!

atomicdust · 28/01/2011 10:24

Mamatomany

But surely, the " qualified social worker who was employed by HS as she was the one who interviewed me" was not employed any longer by Social Services?

atomicdust · 28/01/2011 10:27

WorzselMummag

Hope you did enjoy the massage!
Grin

surely it improved your confidence and well-beeing!!!
Wink

WorzselMummage · 28/01/2011 10:31

It was a nice massage !

My confidence and wellbeing were boosted by promising myself never ever to go back.

The next week they were doing manicures and henna hand painting though..shame.

Hmm
mamatomany · 28/01/2011 10:37

You think mums with fully working bodies and brains are more important than vulnerable infirm elderly people ?

No I think both are equally important and can be vulnerable - or not, if you can help one group, you must help the other.

But surely, the " qualified social worker who was employed by HS as she was the one who interviewed me" was not employed any longer by Social Services?

Not necessarily, she could be employed by both the council and hs, I take your point but my point was that there was a presence/imput/helping hand whatever you want to call it and it wasn't advertised to the people signing up for HS's "help".

PepperMoonchild · 28/01/2011 10:37

I attend Surestart with my ds, I find it invaluable as I've struggled with mental health issues in the past and getting out to meet people and get the advice of the staff is a life line for me.
In attending the groups I have seen lots of women being given what would be considered on here very basic advice but advice these women and children would not have d otherwise. About healthy eating, behaviour, breast / bottle feeding and development. Other groups are opportunities for new mums to socialise that's true, but it's the advice and care professionals that make sure start different. A lot of women in my area have no internet, no car, if they are away from their family they have no support at all. The early years are the best time to catch these children and it would be devastating to lose Surestart.

mamatomany · 28/01/2011 10:39

It was a nice massage !

I'm sure you could have slipped a tenner in the collection tin if being massaged for free offended you so much !

QuintessentialShadows · 28/01/2011 10:40

Imagine how much money the government would be making if they added an additional 20% luxury VAT on alcohol and tobacco! And used this to fund health services....

No need to close sure start centres then...

atomicdust · 28/01/2011 10:42

mamatomany surely they would be "some conflicting" interest if the home-start manager was doing 2 part-time jobs, one for homestart and one for the council!....

it's even worse than I thought.

anyway, going to meet my Homestart family as I'm a new volunteer for homestart.

hope I'll be more positive, by actually seing some positive outcomes from homestart...

maybe then go to surestart for confidence boosting....
Smile

WorzselMummage · 28/01/2011 10:45

Because they help people who can't help themselves they have to help people that can too ?

And if I'd have slipped a tenner In the collection tin it would probably have ended up being used to pay for someone to have a makeover or something so I decided against it.

mamatomany · 28/01/2011 11:00

atomicdust if you've been through the training course I can't see how you could not know about the amount of social services exchange of information at best, but I'd say interference considering Home Start is a charity.
The exact words used were, you are our eyes and ears on the ground, I felt very uncomfortable.

ISNT · 28/01/2011 11:02

I don;t understand why a vulnerable woman with PND is in a better position to help herself than someone like my dad (healthy and wealthy pensioner) TBH.

To say that all old people are needy and all mothers are strong and healthy with no need of assistance from anyone is wrong.

Help should be targeted at where it is needed, and at where it makes the most difference.