The deadline to respond to Oxfordshire Council's proposal to close ALL of Oxfordshire's Children's Centres and Early Intervention hubs has now closed, but you can still write to your local MP or councillor (see below) or attend theAnti-cuts meeting at Oxford Town Hall, Tue 12th January 7.30pm.
Peeple rejects all three options suggested by Oxfordshire County Council in their consultation on the future of Oxfordshire's Children's Services and Children's Centres.
We hope that you will too. These are some of the reasons why…
This is NOT a genuine consultation
NONE of the three options presented in the consultation will save children’s centres in Oxfordshire.
ALL existing children’s centres in Oxfordshire will be closed
All 44 Children’s centres will be replaced with 6 or 8 Children & Family centres for families with children and young people 0-19 (or 25 where the young person has additional needs). They will be led by social workers and will only be for the most vulnerable families who have been referred to the service. These centres will include 6 or 8 designated children's centres operating from within the Children and Family Centres.
Universal services will no longer be provided
Children’s centres provide universal services for ALL families with a child age 0-5 – a time when families can need a little extra help from professionals. as well support from other families in the same situation.
Universal services help families in greatest need
Children’s centres are places where parents can get the support they need, when they need it and where they need it. This support is from a variety of agencies - statutory and voluntary - who work together to provide the support that families need and deserve. If families need a little extra support, this is provided without stigma, children are kept safe, and crises are avoided.
None of the proposals make economic sense
Councils have difficult spending decisions to make - but these proposals are only about short-term savings. Early support is much cheaper than spending money later on after little difficulties have become big problems. All the evidence shows that if you focus on the earliest years, lives can be transformed – children and families benefit, and so does society.
The cost of establishing the new services will be high
On top of the cost of setting up the new services, it will cost an extra £4 million to make children’s centre staff redundant. Years of local knowledge, partnership working and expertise will be lost – instead, the money will be spent on starting again from scratch.
There is an alternative
Individual children’s centres have offered to cut their budgets whilst still providing services. Our neighbours in Buckinghamshire are making savings without closing a single children's centre. If the overwhelming response from the consultation is to reject all three of the proposals and to save the children’s centres – then the council must listen!
David Cameron (Prime Minster and local MP) says
“I know how vital these services are for many local people and I firmly believe they should remain open.”
Have your say
Join the Save Oxfordshire’s Children’s Centres campaign. Go to their website atwww.SaveOxfordshiresChildrensCentres.com and sign the petition. You can also find them on facebook andtwitter. Attend the meeting at Oxford Town Hall on Tuesday 12th January to protest about the council's cuts.
We think this news story will be of interest to our visitors. However, please note it is from another source and does not necessarily represent the views of Oxondads. If you would like to comment on this article please click on the "No Comments" below or alternatively E-Mail info@oxondads.co.uk
Where new dads are encouraged to take months off work
By Andrea RangecroftStockholm
In some countries the idea of paternity leave - when a father takes time off work to stay at home with a new child - has yet to take hold. In Sweden, which has been encouraging fathers to take paternity leave since 1974, there is now a new incentive for them to spend a full three months at home.
"It took 20 minutes to get the kids into their winter clothes this morning," says Fredrik Casservik (above), putting his son, Elton, into a high chair. Next to him, another dad, Rikard Barthon, agrees. "It's the worst time of year," he says, as he carefully helps his 16-month-old daughter, Juni, out of her padded onesie.
The two dads are in a suburban cafe in southern Stockholm drinking coffee and sharing cinnamon buns with their children. They discuss how to spend the afternoon while their toddlers wave enthusiastically at two more small children at the next table.
Groups of fathers lunching together surrounded by toddlers or pushing prams through parks are not an uncommon sight in Sweden. In 1974, the country was the first in the world to replace maternity leave with parental leave, giving both partners the chance of time at home with their children.
Image captionRikard enjoys work but sees this as a great opportunity to spend time with his daughter Juni
"It's a very strong tradition here," says Roger Klinth, a researcher and senior lecturer in gender studies at Linkoping University. "That all political parties voted for it in 1974, was a clear signal from the state that men and women should have the same status as parents and that one gender shouldn't take main responsibility."
The idea was that couples got six months' leave per child with each parent entitled to half the days each. However, men had the option of signing their days over to the women - and most of them did. As a result, two decades later, 90% of the leave days were still being used by women.
A "daddy quota" was introduced in 1995 to resolve this. It allocated 30 days' leave solely to the father on a use-it-or-lose-it basis. If the father didn't take a month off work, then the couple as a whole would lose a month's paid leave. In 2002, this was extended to 60 days. Both reforms had a direct impact on the proportion of leave taken by the father so that by 2014 men were taking 25% of all the days available to the couple. As of 1 January this year, the quota has risen to 90 days.
Today, Swedish couples get around 16 months (480 days) paid parental leave when their child is born. For the first 390 days, the parent who is off work gets paid 80% of their salary by the state up to around US$ 111 (or £76) a day. Many employers will then top up the shortfall, often to 90% of the original salary. After that, parents can take up to 90 days more leave and be paid a lower rate. As a result of the latest changes the maximum amount of leave a mother can take has gone down from 420 days to 390 - or from roughly 14 months to 13.
Rikard is 41 and works at TV network TV4 and Fredrik, 40, is an advertising agency graphic designer. Both are taking at least four months' leave.
There are Facebook groups that help dads on paternity leave meet up with other fathers. While the children play, the dads have coffee or lunch together and exchange stories and childcare tips just as their own mothers once did.
Fredrik's wife Susanne has noticed that Elton has become more attached to his dad since she went back to her job at a recruitment company.
"I'm a bit sad sometimes when I can see that Elton wants to be with Fredrik, but I know it's because they're home together more," she says. "But then it can be a bit hard for Fredrik when the children want to be with him all the time as well!"
Things were very different for Fredrik's father, Jan Casservik, in 1975. He only took a few days' leave from being a head teacher when Fredrik was born, although by law he could have taken more.
"It wasn't that common back then. If someone did take leave, it was almost a bit suspect. It just wasn't what you did as a man," he says.
"Being at the birth was OK, but you wouldn't be home forever. If I had small kids today like Fredrik, then I'd definitely like to be home and take paternity leave."
His wife, Margareta, agrees. She took all of the parental leave when they had their three children and thinks it's brilliant to now see Fredrik spending time with his two children. "The experience that he's getting when the children come to him is something I felt many times and it's such a lovely feeling. I think everyone should experience it."
Swedish Dads
Image copyrightJohan BavmanImage captionOla Larsson took eight months parental leave to be with his son Gustav and says it was a "true gift" to have the time to create "strong emotional ties"
Swedish photographer Johan Bavman made a photo book called Swedish Dads when he was home with his own son, Viggo.
The 45 portraits show men who have chosen to stay home for more than six months to look after their children. Johan says he didn't want to portray the fathers as "super dads", but to show the hard work that goes into becoming a good parent.
"This is something that women have never been recognised for before, and something we men have always taken for granted. It's hard to change history and it takes time to change the mindset of both parents."
Image copyrightJohan BavmanImage captionMartin Gagner moved from the Netherlands to Sweden, attracted by child-friendly policiesImage copyrightJohan BavmanImage captionPetter Westerlund, a carpenter, shared parental leave equally with his partner
The dads in the cafe say they have never had any adverse comments from people in the street seeing them pushing prams, though on one occasion a friend of Rikard's overheard a tourist in a cafe asking who all the "gay nannies" were.
Sweden is rated as having one of the world's narrowest gender gaps according to the World Economic Forum.
Gender gap rankings in 2015
Position (out of 145)
Country
1
Iceland
2
Norway
3
Finland
4
Sweden
5
Ireland
6
Rwanda
7
Philippines
8
Switzerland
141
Iran
142
Chad
143
Syria
144
Pakistan
145
Yemen
Source: WEF
Niklas Lofgren from The Swedish Social Insurance Agency says equal parenting in the early days has long-term benefits.
"I think it's a natural step that if you've shared the responsibilities more equally when the child is small, there's a bigger chance that you'll take more responsibility later on if the parents separate. We can't show that there's a direct link but it's certainly more common now in Sweden that parents have shared custody and the children live alternate weeks with each parent after a separation," he says.
"From an international, or non-Swedish perspective, it probably seems a bit strange that men go around changing nappies and doing the washing up," says Fredrik. His brother lives in the US with his wife, who stays at home with their two children. Fredrik thinks that his brother, and other fathers in a similar situation, might have a different relationship with their children as they spend less time at home.
Much as they love looking after their children, both men are looking forward to going back to work. "I like working. I see this as a chance that won't come again so it's nothing to do with me not wanting to work," says Rikard.
Most employers are behind them. "Companies need reliable access to competent people to be strongly competitive," says Catharina Back, a social security expert at employers' organisation Swedish Enterprise.
"Therefore it's important that companies are attractive to men and women so that both have possibilities to develop their careers while they have small children."
In 2015 parental leave cost the Swedish state $3.2bn (£2.2bn), largely funded by the relatively high payroll taxes levied on Swedish companies.
In terms of the logistical impact on individual businesses, Back says long periods of leave aren't necessarily a problem. "Of course it's challenging to bring in extra cover when employees are away on parental leave, but so as long as parents forewarn their employers, then companies can plan ahead and then they're happy. It's more when it is shorter periods that it's harder to plan."
According to Niklas Lofgren, when the woman has a higher level of education than the man, the parental leave days tend to be shared more equally.
It has taken 40 years and many political reforms to get halfway to complete equality in parental leave in Sweden. Women are still more likely to work part-time or take longer periods of unpaid leave.
However, if the trend continues as it has in the last few years, the paid leave should be divided 50-50 between the two parents by 2035.
We think this news story will be of interest to our visitors. However, please note it is from another source and does not necessarily represent the views of Oxondads. If you would like to comment on this article please click on the "No Comments" below or alternatively E-Mail info@oxondads.co.uk
To highlight the importance of fathers work and what it means to dads and their families, Oxondads have been asking dads to comment on their experiences from using their local services, the majority provided by Childrens' Centres, and how they have benefited from attending such groups as SaturDads & Disco Dadz.
Thank you very much to Jose a dad from Grandpont Childrens Centre for participating.
We think this news story will be of interest to our visitors. However, please note it is from another source and does not necessarily represent the views of Oxondads. If you would like to comment on this article please click on the "No Comments" below or alternatively E-Mail info@oxondads.co.uk
From Save Oxfordshire’s Children’s centres Campaign:
The Department of Education's Children's Centres Impact Study was published yesterday.
Unsurprisingly Oxfordshire County Council did not want to wait for this highly regarded report's favourable findings on the country's children's centres to be released before making a decision on Oxfordshire's children's centres....
"Organised activities, such as 'Stay and Play' sessions where parents and their children played and learned songs, were linked to small but significant reductions in parenting stress, improvements in mothers’ health, and better learning environments in the children's own homes.
Children's centres operate in disadvantaged neighbourhoods to provide a wide range of services tailored to local conditions and needs, but they are also intended to target the most vulnerable families. The Oxford study shows children’s centres with the best funding and staffing levels did reach families in ‘most need’ – the poorest households and families with dysfunctional parent-child relationships"
We think this news story will be of interest to our visitors. However, please note it is from another source and does not necessarily represent the views of Oxondads. If you would like to comment on this article please click on the "No Comments" below or alternatively E-Mail info@oxondads.co.uk
This Christmas, spare a thought for the dads of the world. It can be a stressful season for anyone, but, come the big day, Super Dad is expected to appear and mend model railways almost as soon as the red coat and beard are put away. Here’s a list we put together (check it twice, now) of tips and hints to make surviving Christmas that bit easier for you and your family.
1. Get plenty of rest
The busy dad needs to be on his game the whole day through. Ricky Willis, father of the popular blog The Skint Dad, says, ‘I suggest getting the earliest night possible on Christmas Eve so, come Christmas afternoon, instead of having a snooze on the sofa, I can spend some extra quality time with the children.’ Energy budgeting – we wouldn’t have expected anything less from the Skint Dad. 2. Come prepared
There can be few things worse for a child on Christmas morning than unwrapping a toy, finding it needs batteries and then realising the shops are shut. The resourceful dad will have thought this through before hand. Says Stuart Thomas of Shropshire, ‘start storing up the batteries as soon as Christmas is over, and make sure you store them in a place you’ll remember next year!’ 3. Work on those wish lists
‘I ask everyone to create a wish list,’ says Karl of YorkshireDad.co.uk. ‘It makes shopping much easier and the time I save is spent on fun activities and stuffing my face.’ Time saving seems to be something that Karl specialises in: ‘Never waste hours wrapping up presents,’ he advises. ‘Instead, ask the stores to wrap the presents for you.’ Sounds like Karl is a dad who knows where his priorities lie. 4. Festive forward thinking
Dave Thompson, a dad from Belfast, is full of hard-won wisdom when it comes to surviving Christmas. ‘Make sure the toys you buy are easily replaceable and won't be discontinued any time soon,’ he says. ‘My daughter is currently on Piglet number 17. We always have a spare one in the back of the cupboard in case current Piglet gets lost, left at nursery or vomited on.’ 6. Keep the noise down
Speaking of forward planning, here’s Stuart Thomas again, back with a little health and safety advice. ‘Remember not to buy toys that are too noisy,’ he says, ‘as you’ll need your nap in the afternoon after that early start.’ Like some kindly Dickensian spirit, he has plans for Christmases yet to come, too: ‘Wait until you have grandchildren and then buy the loudest toys you wish you had bought for your own kids years ago.’ Thanks, granddad. 7. Package preparation
Of the dads we asked, a good number had advice on packaging. Ben Woodiwiss of London never lets unwrapping commence until there are recycle bins positioned around the room, while Rob Wood of Solihull goes as far as unpackaging the toys before he wraps them up. ‘It's no fun trying to unshackle plastic superheroes from their bonds, knee-deep in wrapping paper, ear-deep in Slade,’ he says with an audible shudder. 8. Remember the magic
Brendan Boxall, a dad from Tooting, believes in the magic of Christmas. If Santa doesn’t leave any obvious signs of having visited in the night, ‘tread wellies through piles of talc to recreate the track of his snowy boots across the carpet,’ and, if there’s no sign of the big man before they go to bed, ‘get the kids to look out for him from the bedroom window while you hide in the garden jingling bells.’ Lastly, for the modern family, there’s always www.noradsanta.org – ‘the digital way to follow Santa’s progress on Christmas Eve.’ Father Boxall, we salute you! 9. Keep smiling
Not everyone thinks Christmas is the most magical day of the year. According to Rich Lines, a dad living in South London, ‘You may as well accept that Christmas belongs to the children and make the best of it. Wear a stupid jumper, watch mawkish movies, turn your house into an LED-lit, tinsel-festooned grotto and keep smiling. The more you resist, the more it hurts.’ 10. Keep Christmas in your heart
To finish on a mega Christmassy note, let’s give the big daddy over at DaddyDazed.co.uk the last word. ‘Note to self,’ he begins sagely, ‘Christmas is no longer about eating too much, arguing with your brother and vegging out in front of the TV. Now you are a father, Christmas is an opportunity to spend quality time with your daughter, to create magic, spread love, and make memories that will last a lifetime.’ Merry Christmas to all (dads), and to all (dads) a good night. You’re going to need the sleep.
We think this news story will be of interest to our visitors. However, please note it is from another source and does not necessarily represent the views of Oxondads. If you would like to comment on this article please click on the "No Comments" below or alternatively E-Mail info@oxondads.co.uk
