Grandparents Apart Wales.

        A Grandmother’s Anguish 25th November 2011                                  
On Wednesday the 23rd November 2011 the Deputy Minister for Social Services said in plenary that Wales leads the UK in listening to children by incorporating the 42 Articles in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into domestic law.

However we have since heard this story from a Welsh grandmother which tragically questions the Deputy Minister’s statement and her implication that the Welsh Government recognises and is fully committed to the articles in the UNCRC.

This is a story of Pauline (Fictitious Name) who sadly lost her son last year so the children involved had the colossal trauma of having to deal with that as did Pauline. Then the children lost their maternal grandfather which caused them more immeasurable distress and possible psychological damage, and at a time when the whole family should have been together sharing this grief and supporting each other Pauline was desperately trying to get contact with her grandchildren.

Pauline sent presents and cheques as most loving grandparents do at birthdays, Xmas etc. but those were disregarded.

Pauline met with the maternal grandmother to try and build bridges with the children’s mother and when this proved unsuccessful, Pauline took the only path left open to her which was to approach a Solicitor in Family Law for advice.
Mediation was arranged but the children’s mother didn’t bother to turn up at the session and when no progress was made, the case went to court where to Pauline’s astonishment the character assignation of her began.

Pauline was accused of interfering and that the children aged 6 and 8 years of age would not be safe in her company. She was even accused of having once tried to kidnap the children.
There was not a scrap of evidence produced in court to support any of these allegations made by the mother’s solicitor and the case was adjourned.

Later Pauline returned to the same court and CAFCASS I am pleased to say had written to the court that they could find no reason why the children could not stay over at Pauline’s. They also wrote that the mother had to be in control.
Pauline’s barrister stated that there was no logical reason why Pauline should not see her grandchildren but the court never made a decision and again it was adjourned.

Pauline was never offered a supervised visit with her grandchildren or she would have accepted it unconditionally which should have proved her sincerity in her application to see her grandchildren.

So Pauline has followed the proper procedures in Wales where ministers and the authorities are supposedly implementing the UNCRC and where the Deputy Minister has said that children in Wales are listened to and that their interests are paramount.

So what did the children have to say in this case you may ask, and who listened to them, or what are the children being told about the court case and especially, why, it is necessary for their loving grandmother to go to court and take action against their mother?
Just what information are these children getting and from whom? 

It is only when one reads such things that one realises the futility of it all and the damage that is being done unconsciously to the children involved and society as a whole.

We in Grandparents Apart Wales implore the Welsh Government to be transparent in their respect for the wishes of children so that, they are heard and protected and that they have the knowledge of their family’s history, culture and religion which in the above case is being totally ignored because it is the children’s Welsh heritage link on the paternal side that the mother by her determined action is denying the children.

The Deputy Minister said that “A Charter for Grandchildren” would only confuse matters connected with children, but we are crystal clear what rights of a child should be protected and the first is the child’s right of access to both parents and the wider family which by its very makeup gives the child that love, affection, and stability so needed for the child’s welfare and wellbeing which benefits their future and that of society.

All governments in the United Kingdom acknowledge the importance of grandparent’s to the family so why is there not more commonsense to protect grandparents furthermore why does the courts not recognise how essential it is that children have access to their grand/parents or at least declare good reason why not.

We thank Pauline for allowing us to tell her story.

Frank
Grandparents Apart Wales

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