19 HRS AGO - Prof Brid Featherstone and Prof Anna Gupta believe adoption is too stark in its severance of the legal relationship between those adopted and their birth family, and out of line with the emotional realities for most involvedWe were concerned to read that the government has written to directors of children’s services, urging them to prioritise adoption for children in the care system (Local authorities urged to focus on adoption for children in care, 16 January). From 2016-18 we led an enquiry, commissioned by the British Association of Social Workers, into the role of the social worker in adoption. We heard from those who had been adopted, adoptive parents, birth families, social workers, legal professionals and academics.While there was a recognition that adoption is suitable for some children, it was considered that it was not suitable for many of those who come into the care system. It is too stark in its severance of the legal relationship between those adopted and their birth Collapse

1 DAY AGO - Education minister Dan Tehan defends government’s record on childcare costs and urges families to ‘shop around’ Dan Tehan has defended the Coalition’s record on childcare after revelations that fees have increased by 3% in the last quarter and by more than 34% since the Coalition was elected in 2013.The education minister said on Sunday that since the Coalition restructured childcare subsidies in 2017, cost increases had been below the 10-year average. He urged families to shop around to punish providers increasing costs faster than recommended. Related: Number of grandparents claiming childcare benefits plummets after 'tougher test' Related: Shorten promises cheaper childcare as Morrison pledges refugee intake freeze Continue reading... Collapse

2 DAYS AGO - China’s push for more births fails to convince a generation of only-childrenChina’s government has been trying to manage a public U-turn on one of its biggest, longest running and most powerful policy and propaganda campaigns for several years now, urging a generation of only-children – born under its one-child policy – that they should have more babies themselves.But the posters, public information campaigns and official exhortations appear to have had almost no discernible effect. Beijing on Friday reported its lowest birthrate since the founding of Communist China over seven decades ago. Continue reading... Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - I always secretly hoped he would change his mind, and the window for me to have children is closingI love my boyfriend very much. We live together and get along really well. The thing is he doesn’t want children and has been open about that from the start. At the beginning, I told him I felt the same but was secretly hoping he’d change his mind. I’m still not sure if I do want kids myself. My friends think I’m just trying to convince myself that I’ll be OK without having children. I’m not so sure, but the window for me to have them is fast closing (I’m 39). What should I do? • When leaving a message on this page, please be sensitive to the fact that you are responding to a real person in the grip of a real-life dilemma, who wrote to Private Lives asking for help and may well view your comments here. Please consider especially how your words or the tone of your message could be perceived by someone in this situation, and be aware that comments that appear to be disruptive or Collapse

4 DAYS AGO - Baby monitors have been given a modern update, with many now offering video monitoring so you can see exactly what your baby is up to - here are some of the best on the market right now Collapse

5 DAYS AGO - A couple of weekends ago I took Belle for brunch at Kitchen at Jordans Courtyard. We ate banana bread, we played cards, we secretly watched a little boy with an adorable bowl cut eat pizza – it was a good day. I’m a big fan of the original Kitchen at The Wharf in Langport, not least because if I get lucky I can sit at my old kitchen table, which found a new home there after I realised I couldn’t open my back door properly with it in my own house. (It’s a round one with white painted legs and a bare wooden top, should you fancy visiting it.) To be honest I prefer the eclectic, mismatched decor and the cosy atmosphere of Kitchen in Langport, but Belle likes it when… The post Brunch club at Jordan’s Courtyard + my easy banana bread recipe appeared first on Slummy single mummy. Brunch club at Jordan’s Courtyard + my easy banana bread recipe was first posted on January 14, 2020 at 5:56 pm. Collapse

6 DAYS AGO - Parents in UK report feeling ‘isolated and helpless’ during wait for formal identificationAlmost half of parents whose children have been referred for an autism assessment have to wait 18 months or more for a formal diagnosis, according to a survey.The charity Ambitious about Autism polled almost 4,000 parents of children with autism and found that in the most extreme cases families reported waiting three years for a diagnosis. Related: Caroline Stevens: ‘My son’s experience of autism made me want to fight for change’ Continue reading... Collapse

12/01/2020 - Whether it’s the postman, a dog or babybel cheese, he addresses them as ‘Daddy’. Then came ‘cheese’…‘Daddy’ was the first word that really stuck around for my son. He was slow to speak and then words would materialise, but fail to catch on. When listening for little words here and there, I realised certain sounds would appear and then retract suddenly, never to be seen again, like a groundhog disappearing into its burrow. ‘All gone’ was there for a while, so too a pleasingly Dublin-esque ‘howiya?’ but neither was reliably present for more than a week or two.Until Daddy. Daddy, it was clear, was here to stay. Speaking as the daddy in question, it was endlessly validating to be addressed by my proper title, and 8,000 times a day no less. The effect was only slightly cheapened by his habit of addressing every other object, person, concept and place in the exact same fashion. Continue reading... Collapse

12/01/2020 - This man has made it clear he doesn’t want a romantic relationship with you, says Mariella Frostrup. So find out your financial rights and focus on the babyThe dilemma I am a 30-year-old woman and I’ve always wanted to settle down. Last spring I met a man with a previous marriage and a child. We were a good match, but without warning, after a few lovely months, he ended it. I took it badly and then all hell broke loose when I realised I was pregnant. I told him and we decided to keep the baby. I now see him a few times a week and we’ve bought a house, but we argue about him not prioritising time to build our relationship.While he’s often kind and thoughtful, he also seems detached and unloving, resenting any extra demands I make. We don’t feel like a team and he openly admits he doesn’t love me, although he believes in time this might change. As the pregnancy progresses I feel constantly ill with worry and heartbreak, and my insecurities are bubbling over. I used to be confident with Collapse