Welcome to the March 2010 issue of the Family and Parenting Institute's newsletter - Family Focus. Please subscribe to this newsletter.


1. News
2. Family Policy Digest
3. Horizon Scan
4. Forward Look
5. Notice Board

News

Family Friendly

Local public services are not viewed as 'family friendly' by the majority of people, a YouGov survey by the Family Commission found. The Government said they planned to work with Family and Parenting Institute to help services become more family friendly.
BBC

Statistics used in the Family Commission report came from the Family and Parenting Institute's book 'Family Trends'.

Teen worries

Teenagers have been the subject of a number of reports, including how their screen habits affect to their relationships, latchkey kids left alone after school, age discrimination and the placement of jailed teenagers.
More

Grandparent carers – the harsh reality

Grandparents are risking financial hardship by giving up work to help look after grandchildren. Research commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Grandparents Plus found working-class grandmothers of working age on low incomes were more likely to have given up work or reduced their hours to care for grandchildren than those in wealthier families.
Grandparents Plus

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Family Policy Digest

The items in this month's digest include: children, young people and alcohol, the government's teenage pregnancy strategy, measurement of family wellbeing, sexualisation of children and the latest research on the impact of family poverty.
More

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Horizon Scan

Flexible working – Family Friendly Working Hours Taskforce report

The Department for Work and Pensions will be making recommendations aimed at encouraging and supporting employers to improve the availability and quality of family friendly working practices. The 'Family Friendly Working Hours Taskforce' (which included Family and Parenting Institute) will be publishing its report next week. Amongst the key benefits would be better work life balance for employed parents, carers and older workers.
DWP

Children 'over exposed to sexual imagery'

A ten-minute-rule Bill to place restrictions on images of partial nudity in advertising has been placed by Nadine Dorries MP, in the House of Commons.
Children are being increasingly exposed to sexual imagery and their parents have limited opportunities to stop it, a Home Office report has warnedThe review is part of the Home Office's 'violence against women and girls' strategy and calls for tougher regulation of sexual imagery in adverts and a ban on selling "lads' mags" to under-16s
Home Office See also Marketing to children

Single parents – Let's lose the labels

Single parents are still often portrayed as 'scroungers' despite the fact that lone parent employment has climbed steadily in recent years. Gingerbread is challenging these attitudes by asking 50 influential politicians and media editors to sign a pledge to tackle prejudice against single parents.
Gingerbread

Budget date announced

Gordon Brown confirmed the Budget will be held on 24 March, starting the countdown to what is expected to be a 6 May general election.
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Forward Look

Here you can find out the latest information on events in the sector.
Email ]info@familyandparenting.org Icon: Email address to add your event
More

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Notice Board

Millennium Cohort Study book available to order

'Children of the 21st century (Volume 2): The first five years', documents the first five years of life of the children of the Millennium Cohort Study. Edited by Kirstine Hansen, Heather Joshi and Shirley Dex, it has just been published.
Policy Press

Making the most of Healthy Start

Healthy Start is a UK wide statutory scheme that provides pregnant women, new mums and families with young children who are on benefits, and pregnant under 18 year olds, with vouchers to buy fresh fruit, vegetables and milk. All health professionals that come into contact with pregnant women and young families are encouraged to recommend the scheme and make leaflets available.
Healthy Start

Dads at work campaign

The Dads at Work awareness campaign is about making sure more dads are aware of their rights at work and have the confidence to speak to their employer about what would work best for them. Dads are encouraged to find out more detailed information on the campaign website.
Direct Gov

C4EO – practice examples wanted

The Centre for Excellence and Outcomes (C4EO) is calling for effective local practice examples for its Families, Parents and Carers Theme.
C4EO

Counting the Costs 2010 – a Contact a Family survey

In 2008 Contact a Family asked families how they were doing financially and the results were shocking, with one in six reporting that they were going without food and heating.
Two years on, Contact a Family wants to find out how families are coping in 2010, to demonstrate if, and how things have changed.
Counting the Costs 2010 survey

Early Years Learning Project – parents needed

We are looking for parents of 2, 3 and 4 year olds taking up funded placements in April 2010 and childcare providers in specific local authorities to participate in the project. The authorities involved are: Islington, Durham, Hertfordshire, Kingston-Upon-Thames, Lambeth, Manchester, North Tyneside, Nottinghamshire, Rotherham, Sandwell, Sheffield, Solihull and Southwark.
Participating parents who complete the two short telephone interviews will each receive a £20 high street voucher. Tel: 020 7424 3481 - Email: Early Years Learning Icon: Email address

Timescapes

In the lead up to the Family Lives and Turning Points Exhibition on 18 March 2010, the Timescapes team is asking people to share their memories. You can get involved by going to their website and filling in the online postcard or request a 'freepost' hard copy postcard from Sarah Finney, Communications officer (S.J.Finney@leeds.ac.uk Icon: Email address).
Timescapes

Parents Week 2010

The 11th annual Parents' Week will run from Monday 18 October until Sunday 24 October and this year's theme is: 'Knowing Families: how well do you know yours?'. We will be helping our supporters organise events and asking families across the country to get involved in our Knowing Families project. More details will follow over the coming months.

National Family Week 2010

At the end of May this year, the country's second National Family Week will take place with the support of the FPI, encouraging people across the country to celebrate being part of a family, whatever shape or size.
www.nationalfamilyweek.co.uk

Involving young dads

Bubbalicious.co.uk is a social networking site designed specifically for young parents. The team are keen to encourage more young dads to get involved on the site and become 'top dads', mentors for other young fathers.
For free promotional materials, contact louise.mullan@fsid.org.uk Icon: Email address
www.bubbalicious.co.uk

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March 2010
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Last updated: 12th March 2010 at 09:03:26