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lettie · 25-02-2007, 10:42

This article doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Surestart was launched in 1998 and has been active in Hyndburn since at least 2000, maybe even 1999. Some of the services have started to be withdrawn from Surestart now because they are coming to the end of their 10 year term. The midwifery service has been reduced in the last 18months, instead of 2 full time midwives in this area, we now have 1 who does some part time work for them.

Surestart paperwork and red tape meant that they were unable to help poor familes who lived outside of their list of post codes. If your post code is not on our list......you're not coming in mentality. This is yet another failed government social experiment with many of the poorest families missing out on the help.

Another issue was that the families who were entitled to the help couldn't care less... They aren't the kind of women who will go to parenting classes, take toddlers to groups, aquanatal, pamper evenings etc. All these women want is to claim as much money as possible and be left to their own devices. Many of the parenting and aquanatal classes in this area were way under subscribed. I taught aqua for Surestart, it was at the Sports Centre and was free. There were adverts at every GP surgery in the area and we used to directly target the women who lived within the Ss remit. We would be lucky to get 2 or 3 attending each week. The women who were interested in coming often lived outside of the Ss remit, were working and not entitled to Ss benefit, therefore, Ss said that they couldn't come.

Imagine the waste of money, sending 3 midwives on a very expensive 2 day aqua training course, hiring the Sports centre pool for an hour every week, buying equipment and music tapes, entertainment license (yes, we had to have a license).... all for 2 or 3 women a week!!!! They could have let everyone come and charged those outside of the area £1 a week and got some of their money back, but stupidy, they just said no....

This is yet another failed initiative aimed at cutting the child health and poverty crisis with the long term aim of cutting anti social behaviour and improving education. Throwing money at these problems has never worked and never will work.. it is time for zero tolerance.

25-02-2007, 10:42	#6
lettie Filthy / Gorgeous Bejeweled Blitz Champion! Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Xanadu Posts: 4,005 Blog Entries: 337 Liked: 67 times Rep Power: 88670	Re: Yet Another Government Failure This article doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Surestart was launched in 1998 and has been active in Hyndburn since at least 2000, maybe even 1999. Some of the services have started to be withdrawn from Surestart now because they are coming to the end of their 10 year term. The midwifery service has been reduced in the last 18months, instead of 2 full time midwives in this area, we now have 1 who does some part time work for them. Surestart paperwork and red tape meant that they were unable to help poor familes who lived outside of their list of post codes. If your post code is not on our list......you're not coming in mentality. This is yet another failed government social experiment with many of the poorest families missing out on the help. Another issue was that the families who were entitled to the help couldn't care less... They aren't the kind of women who will go to parenting classes, take toddlers to groups, aquanatal, pamper evenings etc. All these women want is to claim as much money as possible and be left to their own devices. Many of the parenting and aquanatal classes in this area were way under subscribed. I taught aqua for Surestart, it was at the Sports Centre and was free. There were adverts at every GP surgery in the area and we used to directly target the women who lived within the Ss remit. We would be lucky to get 2 or 3 attending each week. The women who were interested in coming often lived outside of the Ss remit, were working and not entitled to Ss benefit, therefore, Ss said that they couldn't come. Imagine the waste of money, sending 3 midwives on a very expensive 2 day aqua training course, hiring the Sports centre pool for an hour every week, buying equipment and music tapes, entertainment license (yes, we had to have a license).... all for 2 or 3 women a week!!!! They could have let everyone come and charged those outside of the area £1 a week and got some of their money back, but stupidy, they just said no.... This is yet another failed initiative aimed at cutting the child health and poverty crisis with the long term aim of cutting anti social behaviour and improving education. Throwing money at these problems has never worked and never will work.. it is time for zero tolerance. __________________ Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether. The views expressed here are my own and not necessarily those of my family, friends, employer, this site, my neighbours, hairdresser, dentist, GP, next door's dog or anyone else who knows me.. Last edited by lettie; 25-02-2007 at 10:44.