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The Family and Parenting Institute periodically runs Meet the Parents events for senior politicians from all parties so they can hear what real parents have to say.
Meet the parents 2008 – Harriet Harman MP - 16 May 2008
Meet the parents 2008 - Michael Gove MP - 20 January 2008

Meet the parents 2008 – Harriet Harman MP

16 May 2008

Women's Minister and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Harriet Harman, came face to face with a room full of parents at the Family and Parenting Institute's latest Meet the Parents event on Friday May 16.

Parents had the chance to question Harriet Harman on the issues that matter to them including breastfeeding in public and flexible working.

Meet the parents 2008 - Michael Gove MP

20 January 2008

Around twenty specially invited parents came to the Commonwealth Club on 20 January 2008 to meet Michael Gove MP, Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and put to him questions about schools, childcare and family services.

Mr Gove said he was very keen to listen to what parents had to say. He said that parents were the ultimate test of whether policies and policy suggestions made sense. Parents, he said, might suggest that the Conservatives did something completely different or even nothing at all and he did not want to come up with Conservative policy that was "barmy or barking" which might have unintended consequences.

Parents questioned Mr Gove on a whole variety of subjects including faith and grammar schools, the role of fathers, supporting parents with learning difficulties, funding for voluntary organisations like Homestart and the changing nature of children's centres. There was also discussion about universal parenting support and childcare for parents in hospital.

Some parents were particularly concerned about the length of time that it took for their children to be assessed in school for special educational needs. Mr Gove proposed that children were assessed independently of local authorities so that there was not an incentive for the LAs to deny or hold up an SEN statement because of the expense involved. Mr Gove also emphasised the Conservatives' commitment to early intervention, so that children who were showing the early signs of behavioural or other problems were picked up early. This, he said, was investing to save money in the future. He renewed the party's commitment to children's centres and to supporting voluntary organisations – but said that in general there should be "more mentoring and less monitoring" – and that parents should not be blamed so often for failing to follow government advice.

A full account of the questions parents asked and the response will be available soon.