MP: ‘Evidence now backs up family instincts’
A BARNSLEY MP has backed a report which will put families at the heart of policy making.
Miriam Cates, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, is supporting the report from Dame Rachel de Souza’s Independent Family Review.
Ms Cates says she is ‘delighted’ the report sets out evidence for what is already instinctively known, that family is central to children’s wellbeing and development.
She says she is campaigning for more pro-family choices and to give families the support and services they need to ‘thrive’.
Ms Cates added: “Growing up in a loving and protective environment gives children the best possible start and ranks alongside the quality of their education as the most important factor in determining their future.
“I’ve met with Dame Rachel on a number of occasions, and we share a passion for giving every child the best chance in life.
“I’m looking forward to working with her and the new government to enact some of the recommendations in this report.
“Families are the most natural and powerful relationships we have, and we must never be ashamed to recognise that children benefit from a stable and loving family environment.
“The evidence in this report shows that it’s not the composition of the family that matters, but the quality of the family environment.
“We’ve already secured government funding for one of the new Family Hubs to be pioneered in Barnsley, and I’ll keep working hard for families and children here in the constituency and across the country.”