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years NCT has been campaigning as the voice for parents on the issues they care about
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Birth topics
branches across the UK run thousands of events all year round
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Parenting topics
NCT practitioners support parents to find information they need to prepare for their new life
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Parenting topics
NCT practitioners support parents to find information they need to prepare for their new life
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Parenting topics
NCT practitioners support parents to find information they need to prepare for their new life
In This Section
Early Parenthood Campaigning
NCT campaigns for everyone to get the best support during the transition to parenthood
NCT aims for all parents to have a positive start to family life.
We want all women and men to feel prepared and supported to become confident and caring parents.
We value and promote high quality social, financial and emotional support for all parents, as well as opportunities for men and women to prepare for the transition to parenthood because:
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The transition to parenthood is the founding phase of family life. What happens in the early days can have a major impact at the time and have long-term consequences for the child, the parents and for society.
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Mothers and fathers are often unprepared for the physical, emotional and financial demands of looking after a new baby and many feel isolated and overwhelmed.
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First time parents often have very limited experience of caring for babies or children and may not have extended family or friends who are parents of a baby living close by.
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Parenthood should be recognised for its contribution to the future of our society. Economic and social polices are needed to raise families out of poverty, end discrimination and promote social inclusio
Most of NCT's campaigning work on early parenthood is done in cooperation with other charities and as part of coalitions.
Campaign to End Child Poverty
NCT is a member of the campaign to End Child Poverty. 3.8 million children - one in three - are currently living in poverty in the UK, one of the highest rates in the industrialised world. This is a shocking figure given the wealth of our nation. NCT believes that the social and emotional impact of poverty on new parents undermines the foundations of family life and childhood.
Family Room
NCT takes part in the Family Room programme of events at political party conferences to highlight the importance of good support for families.
End Fuel Poverty
NCT is a member of the End Fuel Poverty campaign as families of babies and very young children are particularly badly hit by high fuel costs.Nearly five million households in England cannot afford to heat and power their homes. These households are living in fuel poverty – they need to spend more than ten per cent of their income on energy to keep warm and meet other energy requirements.
The average annual household energy bill is now over £1,200 – more than double the average bill of five years ago.
Let's lose the labels
NCT supports Gingerbread's Let's lose the labels campaign. Gingerbread has been working with single parents since 1918, when it challenged the 'bastardy acts' that stigmatised children born outside marriage.
Nearly 100 years later single parents are angry about the labels still used today. Recent evidence has confirmed it. Most children growing up in single parent families turn out fine, but single parents are still depicted as ‘bad mothers’ with 'feral kids' responsible for ‘broken families’.
Shout out for a sure start
There are now more than 3,500 Sure Start Children’s Centres across the country, providing families with young children with services, support and information. This means that more families know where to go to get help; parents who are worried about their child don’t have to suffer in silence; and mums, dads and grandparents can get together to share the joys and challenges of raising children. NCT is proud to support the Shout out for a sure start campaign to keep these Centres open and thriving, campaigning to ensure they have a prosperous future.
Fair Fares Now
NCT supports the Campaign for better transport's Fair Fares Now campaign to challenge increases in public transport costs. We have added our support as believe that families of young children are particularly hard hit by cuts to services in local areas and increases in costs including VAT, childcare and now public transport.
20's Plenty for Us
20's Plenty For Us was formed in order to campaign for the implementation of 20 mph as the default speed limit on residential roads in the UK.NCT supports this campaign due to the impact on families of child road deaths.
Research has shown that the vast majority of the public would like 20 mph on residential roads. 2006 changes in Dept for Transport guidelines have relaxed the recommendations and in many residential areas 20 mph limits may be set without any physical measures at all.
Save Child Savings
NCT is a member of the Save child's savings alliance. We represent a broad alliance - from consumer groups, to charities and service providers who have joined to fight the government's plans to take away Child Trust Funds. We believe that Child Trust Funds offer an invaluable investment in our children's future. As politicians plan to abolish them without any replacement, families are rightly concerned about what the future might hold for their children's savings.
The Save Child Savings campaign was created to fight back and demand that the politicians protect every child's right to the best start to their adult life.
