Hi there
MNHQ have been asked to join the Royal College of Midwives, on a panel at the party conferences to discuss what can be done to get dads more involved in their children's lives (always excepting those dads who do their fair share or more already, of course)
In preparation we’d love to hear your views
Do you feel that current policies around maternity leave, paternity leave, work, childcare etc assume, and therefore usually lead to women adopting the primary caregiver roles for children? If so, what do you think about this?
How involved would you say your DCs' dad is in their daily lives, and how much support did he give you during pregnancy and birth? Were you happy with this level? Is more support always a good thing?
If you think your DC's dad could do more to get involved with your DC's lives, what would make the difference and encourage him? Is this different depending on the age of your child?
If you're separated are you happy with how engaged your child's dad is?
Shared Parental Leave is introduced in April 2015? Are you likely to use this policy? What do you think of it generally?
*From 2015 parents will be eligible for Shared Parental Leave during their child’s first year. So, if parents want to, after a period of at least two weeks that has to be taken by the mother, the remaining entitlement can now be shared between parents.
The panel is primarily looking at the role of dads, but we'd welcome the perspective of any lesbian couples, either about your own relationships or how you involve the biological father, if he is around in the family's life.
Thanks in advance for your input.
MNHQ