Would Would you like to come along to the launch of Home Front: What do mums and dads need to make life work?

[JustineMumsnet]

Home Front will be a high profile, on-line, national debate supported by the Equality and Human Rights Commission in conjunction with their Working Better campaign, to take place on Mumsnet.com and dads.info over the course of the Summer.

We?re trying to pin down the needs of mothers and fathers balancing paid work and caring for children and what can be done to make that balance work for all.

There will be a q and a session, a round table discussion plus lunch of course and we'd love to see some Mums and especially some Dads, there.

It's occurring next Monday 14 July 12.30-2pm at
Inmarsat, 9 City Road, London EC1Y 1AX

If you?d like to come along please drop and email to [email protected].

Cheers,
M Towers

TDWP, as much as I agree that no matter where it was held someone would complain, the 'If you really care you would go' line is a bit unfair.

I care a lot, as no doubt many others do.

I understand and can appreciate why it will be held in London

BUT at over £100 in travel costs alone, how much I care doesn't even come into the equation.

Bit of an own goal I think, Mumsnet Towers re location and timing. No way I could make it even if I took a day off, as the DC still need picking up from school at 3.15pm

I have signed up for the work/life balance case study thing that was on here the other week though. Is it still open for others to volunteer for that?

I care, but I've got to stay late at work that day for a conference call with the States...

h

the emphasis on what is being best for the 'journos' rather than what is best for the people it supposed to help is crazy. The sunday idea would have been better IMO - DP and I could have had a nice weekend in the big smoke and DS could have run around like a lunatice with any other lunatic children there. I would have got to have had a moan, and Dp would have had some good incentives to have got him there in the first place. Everyone is a winner!

Are there no journos living/working outside London?

How much public money is being used to fund this debate (have 'debates' taken over from 'consultations' as something the government does to make it look as though people have a say when in fact things have already been decided)?

12.30pm-2pm is an extended lunch hour when you take into account even City-based workers will have to travel office-venue.

I could get there - the cheapest ticket (excluding travel around London) is £50. If this is govt-funded, it should have expenses for travel for those it aims to talk to - like MSLCs etc.

sorry Justine - if we seem a little ungrateful / critical, but are you going to explain to journalists that you have invited MNers but it was only ever possible that the ones based in the SE and working in the city would be there, so whatever is said is not going to be representative of parents on MN, let alone representative of parents generally(who by your stats will be part of the 1/3 working ft x 43% in the SE, so even if all the ones in the SE work in the city it is less than 15% of MN)

SE has it's own ishoooos. House prices and childcare are even more expensive there than elsewhere, but getting services within striking distance is probably easier.

iyswim?

Fio - the energy scheme is Warm Front

No, I'd rather have my nipples removed with a blunt spoon

blunt rusty spoon Snotty?

natch

I too felt a pang of gulit at being so negative about it but well...as uit is for me it's just tough

I agree with the majority here, once again something like this is London-centric. The concerns of those in the affluent SE are going to be very different to those in the NE - the most impoverished area in England.

Regional focus groups as someone has already suggested would get a much better cross-section of opinion.

Ouch. Am feeling sorry for Justine et al. Although lots of the points made have been valid... any road up, I'll try to come.

Oh dear - I think Justine was being polite inviting mumsnetters along. The point is if you're launching anything to the press, all the press are in London. No they won't travel and you're lucky if they turn up to your carefully arranged 'do' at all even if they've promised they will

And yes the emphasis is meant to be on what's best for the journos because the organisers want to get press coverage! The debate itself is going to take place online during the summer.
As a point of interest, who is turning up for the round table discussion (other than London-based WOHM mumsnetters with long lunch breaks?)

Justine could you clarify your op a bit? I think it might help.

you say "We?re trying to pin down the needs of mothers and fathers balancing paid work and caring for children and what can be done to make that balance work for all." is this a reference to the on-line debate scheduled to take place over summer - (in which case great) or a reference to this one-off event? The op isn;t clear. Is the one-off even in fact a launch event to encourage participation in the main thing - ie the on-line debate? (in which case targetting journalists is, of course, important) Can you clarify what the purpose of the 14th July event is? It might also be helpful if you gave us some indication of what other methodologies you and the Commission will be using.

This is a link to the Commission's web page on the project

EHRC Working Better project

Having just read the link above I see that the 14th July is indeed a launch event and that there are other aspects of the project to follow.

the launch bit was in the thread title. but, in my defence, could have been emphasised more...(I'm talking to myself anyway)

which end of city rd is that?

Sorry Bundle can't help with which end of City rd at the mo, but will find out.

Thanks all for all the feedback. This is indeed an official launch by the EHRC and we knew it would be tricky for most folks to make it, but thought it was worth asking. On the morning of the launch we'll be launching the Home Front Survey on Mumsnet, which will run till Sept, and once we have some feedback from that there'll be a number of Talk threads where folks can offer suggestions, ideas, solutions - whatever you like.

In addition, on the morning of the 14th we're going to try and post some extracts of the launch speeches on Mumsnet and then folks will be able to add comments, post questions and we will try and incorporate these into the launch discussion. Well that's the theory anyway - if any of you do manage to make it you'll be able to see how the plan works in reality and report back!

Anyway there are going to be plenty of opportunities for Mumsnetters from all regions/working backgrounds to have their say and we look forward to hearing from everyone in the next few months.

Hope that helps to clarify it all a bit and apologies for any confusion.

MN Towers

Crikey, some of you would argue over which was your turtle foot and which was your crab foot, wouldn't you?

Mad.

I'd come, but my debating skills would be too nonchalant for you all.