We went to the Labour Party Conference to listen, question and speak out for the choice for mothers who would like to spend more time with their babies and young children. Anna and Ange's plastic babies were our ice-breaker...read on to find out more!

The promise of change has captured the moment. The question is what will be the shape of that change? For Mothers at Home Matter, the question is how can we shape positive change for families?

We don’t doubt Keir Starmer is as sincere a family man as any of us. It is equally clear that his manifesto only says part of what they will want to do therefore we hope that it is a moment of opportunity in which a Labour government with a large majority will be seriously ready to listen to new ideas about what real people really want. 

Anne Fennell has just returned from a trip to New York for the UN 68th Commission on the Status of Women. It was her first trip to the UN as President of the European Federation of Parents and Carers at Home whilst also representing MAHM.

After 14 years of campaigning, we were pleased to hear the Chancellor state publicly that the Child Benefit Tax Charge was unfair to families particularly where one parent stays at home to care. 

The fact that the principle of household taxation was publicly acknowledged means there is a public recognition that the principle can be changed to make life fairer for families. 

Anne Fennell talks to the Make Mothers Matter Network Coordinator Sarah Krimi. Mothers At Home Matter are grass roots members of the international MMM.

The Chancellor has listened to the cry of childcare but is he prepared for the cry of separation? Mr Hunt has put another nail in the coffin for mothers wanting to make the choice to stay home to care. This attack on our freedom is justified in the name of productivity. ‘Getting mothers into paid work will boost the economy and growth’. But it is based on the insulting myth that mothers nurturing babies and toddlers are doing nothing at home; they are ‘inactive economic units’.

Mothers At Home Matter tackled the unfairness of the tax system today at the House of Commons with a presentation to MPs hosted by Miriam Cates MP. MPs were set five quiz points - which no one got the answers correct - the answers are quite staggering.

Mothers At Home Matter’s response to the highly publicised March of the Mummies has been published in the Daily Mail today. Let’s recognise Choice and March for all Mummies.

Tax & The Family and Mothers At Home Matter write to The Guardian: Jeremy Hunt, the latest Chancellor, said that the Government should be compassionate, with those who are struggling. At a time of growing in-work poverty he should consider tax changes which benefit the least well-off — in particular those in poverty with incomes of less than 60% of the median; those where one parent stays at home to look after children or care for a relative; and those with large families.

Our response to the article in The Telegraph on 11th July 2022 ‘Broken Britain in Childcare Crisis’. Anne Fennell argues that it only demonstrated half of the story about care for our children.

This past week Mothers at Home Matter joined Tax and the Family at an online event hosted by Miriam Cates MP and CARE on the Taxation of Families.

Mothers At Home Matter was invited to the Houses of Parliament to hear Erica Komisar talk about ‘raising adolescents in an age of anxiety’.

The Chancellor in his Spring Statement said that the number one priority in the Conservatives desire for tax reform is to reduce taxes for ‘hard-working families’. The tax system does not recognise the ‘family’, writes our Chair, Anne Fennell. All tax cuts are for ‘hardworking individuals’. Focused tax cuts should be on HOUSEHOLD incomes with children.

Anne Fennell, our Chair, has been asked to speak on behalf of Mother At Home Matter alongside Miriam Cates MP and three other guests to speak about parenting in a digital age.

The event will explore the impact of social media, phones, gaming, new technology - the benefits and the harms and look at the importance of the home and of family life.

“Given everything that science tells us about the critical importance of the earliest years of life, our babies and toddlers must now be a priority for Government as we recover from the pandemic.” We co-signed a letter from 1001 First Days Movement to the Home Secretary.

Starting this January, MAHM will be running a series of focus groups as part of an effort to engage directly with members and learn more about members' circumstances and experiences, particularly over this past year.

If you might be interested in sharing your story and chatting to others about what life is like for you, please do get in touch for further information to be sent to you.

Time Sensitive. Deadline is 23rd October 2020.

“The time from conception to the age of 2 is a critical time for development and can impact physical health, mental health and opportunity throughout life. The Early Years Healthy Development Review like to hear from recent parents, including those who gave birth during the lockdown and public health response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, about the experiences of care and services you received.”

Are you a new mother? Add your voice to MAHM’s and respond to this consultation.

MAHM’s contribution to the Treasury Select Committee’s ‘Tax after Coronavirus’ inquiry presented evidence to address the question: ‘Which areas of the tax system are most in need of reform?’

We focused specifically on income tax emphasising the pressing need for a fairer family taxation system. Our system of independent taxation is not fit for purpose for taxing families; it causes unfairness, injustice and even harm.

This June we answered the call for evidence from the Centre for Social Justice and Fabian Society for the Cross Party Early Years Commission. The document which we submitted contain a summary of and reference to much of the fascinating and important research in the field of early years development.