Mothers At Home Matter

Mothers At Home Matter We campaign to give mothers the choice and confidence to care for their children at home.

We have attended many political events and our voices are sadly ignored or just given lip service. Vanessa Olorenshaw, a...
11/06/2026

We have attended many political events and our voices are sadly ignored or just given lip service. Vanessa Olorenshaw, author of ‘Liberating Motherhood’ expresses what many of us feel, a frustration at not being heard. We wonder, how do we get through? I don’t have the answer to that, but I just know that we must push on. We must believe that change can happen.

This week we launched the report, Foundation for the Future, reflecting on the International Conference on Early Childhood and Family Policy that took place in London last year.

Can you help by sharing this report with your MP? https://www.mothersathomematter.com/news/foundation-for-the-future-report

The report concludes that improving children’s outcomes depends not simply on investment in services and institutions but on supporting parents and strengthening family relationships. To build healthy and prosperous nations, governments need to invest in children, which means trusting parents, investing in targeted support for those that need help, and to avoid creating perverse subsidies working against the natural instincts of families and communities in which mothers want to provide care at home in the early years.

10/06/2026

‘We want freedom to choose what we would like to do with our children and we want flexibility in the labour market.’ - Answer to survey of Danish parents. Why do politicians ignore the fact that many mothers want to be there? Here, Professor Ole describes research from Denmark that clearly shows a strong desire for mothers to be there. So many parents are exhausted and feel as if they are missing something. How do you feel about the lack of choice? What can we do to change things? If you want to find out more look at the report on the MAHM website. https://www.mothersathomematter.com/news/foundation-for-the-future-report
Join MAHM

10/06/2026

Nine months old.

39 weeks old.

237 days old.

At nine months old, babies are still completely dependent on the people they know the best. For most of human history, they would have spent their days in very close proximity to their primary caregivers, learning about the world from a place of familiarity and connection.

Yet in 2026, we’re being told it’s ‘progress’ when babies barely out of infancy spend long days in state-funded childcare.

Why does the only support on offer require separation? Taxpayers will spend almost £14,000 a year to fund a nursery place for one baby. Why is there no equivalent option for parents who want to provide that care themselves?

We can’t say we value families and children’s wellbeing when the policies on offer are asking babies to adapt to separation instead of asking society to support families.

Many parents want more choice - the choice to spend longer with their babies without being pushed to the brink financially. The choice to care for their babies without being treated as if it’s a deviation from the norm.

Wanting to be with our babies isn’t regressive. It’s a right that needs to be defended - not designed out of family life.

09/06/2026

Today at 1.30pm UK time Anne Fennell, chair of Mothers at Home Matter will talk live to FEFAF(European Federation of parents and carers at home) about the new report by think-tank Civitas, Foundation for the future.

Leading advocates and academic researchers on child development are warning that the UK risks repeating mistakes seen in Finland and Denmark, where family policies designed to maximise parental employment may be having unintended consequences for children’s wellbeing.

The warning comes in a new report published by the think-tank Civitas following the Foundation for the Future conference, convened in London by the European Federation of Parents & Carers at Home (FEFAF) and Civitas. The conference brought together international researchers to examine growing concerns about child wellbeing, family life and early years policy.
The report, Foundation for the Future, highlights three troubling trends across many Western countries:
* The portrayal of children as barriers to economic participation;
* The undervaluing of parenting and unpaid care, which is invisible in GDP reports and regarded as economic inactivity;
* A lack of understanding or even interest in the impact of childcare policies on children’s development. Institutional childcare is being promoted for increasingly young children and for increasing hours.
Join MAHM

09/06/2026

Governments continue to push for more parents to be in work when their children are young, whilst ignoring the mounting evidence that strong relations are the key to a healthy life. It is becoming glaringly obviously that this obsession is not helping children or families.

Professor James Heckman, Nobel-Prize-Winning economist, argued that policymakers have consistently underestimated the value of parenting and family life. ‘The labour market has become the benchmark of success. This narrow approach ignores the non-market benefits of stable nurturing environments and the value of a mother and of household activity. It fails to see child development as a major household output’, Heckman told delegates, ‘despite it being fundamental to successful child outcomes and developing human potential.’

The report concludes that improving children’s outcomes depends not simply on investment in services and institutions but on supporting parents and strengthening family relationships. To build healthy and prosperous nations, governments need to invest in children, which means trusting parents, investing in targeted support for those that need help, and to avoid creating perverse subsidies working against the natural instincts of families and communities in which mothers want to provide care at home in the early years.

If you want to find out more look at the report on the MAHM website. https://www.mothersathomematter.com/news/foundation-for-the-future-report

08/06/2026

https://www.mothersathomematter.com/news/foundation-for-the-future-report Leading advocates and academic researchers on child development are warning that the UK risks repeating mistakes seen in Finland and Denmark, where family policies designed to maximise parental employment may be having unintended consequences for children’s wellbeing.

The warning comes in a new report published by the think-tank Civitas following the Foundation for the Future conference, convened in London by the European Federation of Parents & Carers at Home (FEFAF) and Civitas. The conference brought together international researchers to examine growing concerns about child wellbeing, family life and early years policy.
The report, Foundation for the Future, highlights three troubling trends across many Western countries:
* The portrayal of children as barriers to economic participation;
* The undervaluing of parenting and unpaid care, which is invisible in GDP reports and regarded as economic inactivity;
* A lack of understanding or even interest in the impact of childcare policies on children’s development. Institutional childcare is being promoted for increasingly young children and for increasing hours.
Join MAHM

Tomorrow at 1.30pm UK time Anne Fennell, chair of Mothers at Home Matter will talk live to FEFAF(European Federation of ...
08/06/2026

Tomorrow at 1.30pm UK time Anne Fennell, chair of Mothers at Home Matter will talk live to FEFAF(European Federation of parents and carers at home) about the new report by think-tank Civitas, Foundation for the future.

Leading advocates and academic researchers on child development are warning that the UK risks repeating mistakes seen in Finland and Denmark, where family policies designed to maximise parental employment may be having unintended consequences for children’s wellbeing. The warning comes in a new report published by the think-tank Civitas following the Foundation for the Future conference, convened in London by the European Federation of Parents & Carers at Home (FEFAF) and Civitas. The conference brought together international researchers to examine growing concerns about child wellbeing, family life and early years policy.

The report, Foundation for the Future, highlights three troubling trends across many Western countries:

The portrayal of children as barriers to economic participation;

The undervaluing of parenting and unpaid care, which is invisible in GDP reports and regarded as economic inactivity;

A lack of understanding or even interest in the impact of childcare policies on children’s development. Institutional childcare is being promoted for increasingly young children and for increasing hours.

Is there a change coming? Are part of it? Steve Biddulph’s words, taken from his book, Raising babies, are stark in thei...
06/06/2026

Is there a change coming? Are part of it? Steve Biddulph’s words, taken from his book, Raising babies, are stark in their wisdom. We know something has to change and all of of us at MAHM believe we are part of this change. We are a UK organisation that campaigns for family friendly policies so parents can have the choice of how they would like to care for their children. Many mothers would like more time with their children and to be there for a season. If you are a mother who is at home with her children and would like some support or you would like to be around more for your children please look us up. We campaign for choice. A woman’s life has many phases. Let’s acknowledge all of them; whether that be time focusing on career or time focusing on family. Each phase helps us grow. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
It is essential that we consider what children actually need to thrive. Join us. https://www.mothersathomematter.com/join-us.

Spotlight on the MAHM Committee 🙌 This lovely bunch of women are the engine room of MAHM. Once a month we meet on Zoom t...
04/06/2026

Spotlight on the MAHM Committee 🙌

This lovely bunch of women are the engine room of MAHM. Once a month we meet on Zoom to discuss upcoming events and activities, share ideas on how to reach more people with our message of support, plan ways to to lobby for change on a policy level to make it easier for mums to be at home with their children, and figure out how to get more of you lovely lot to become members and join the MAHM family! Together we have a stronger voice 💪 shout out to Adele (our newsletter editor) who joins the zoom meeting at an unearthly hour as she's over in the states!

It’s time to come together and be heard. For a long time the voice of mothers who want to care and that of our babies ha...
04/06/2026

It’s time to come together and be heard.

For a long time the voice of mothers who want to care and that of our babies have been ignored.

There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes at MAHM.

You will see that next week when we will be posting about our new report - Foundation for the future.

Press the link below to join Mothers at Home Matter. It’s only £15 a year. Be part of a movement for social change. https://www.mothersathomematter.com/join-us
Included in your membership:
* Biannual, printed newsletter
* Reduced tickets to our annual conference and AGM
* Regular email member-only bulletins
* 10% off Life Coach sessions
* 30% off CareerBreakPeople courses
* Opportunities for further involvement in campaigning and volunteering

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