In our 11 years of experience grandparents do not want to be a source of conflict regarding rights to their grandchildren. Their only conern is they are happy and well looked after and to be kept in reasonable contact.
The Charter for Grandchildren was created by us and a Scottish Government for such an instance. It gives the rights to the child/ren to have grandparents in their lives or an explanation why not. The Charter is parent friendly as it does not give grandparents any rights over parents or allow them to interfere with a child's upbringing.
Jimmy Deuchars
Grandparents Apart UK
Jimmy Deuchars
Grandparents Apart UK
Grandparents should be given clear rights to see their grandchildren when couples separate, ministers will say today.
In future, separating parents will be encouraged to agree to give children contact with their grandparents when signing up to the arrangements, under the plan Photo: ALAMY
In future, separating parents will be encouraged to agree to give children contact with their grandparents when signing up to the arrangements, under the plan.
Ministers will stop short of full legal rights for grandparents but hope that the move will help parents ensure that their children do not lose contact with their extended families after separation.
Currently, most children remain living with their mothers after divorce. This leaves often leaves fathers with little access to their children, and in practice means paternal grandparents can lose contact altogether.
The Justice Secretary, Kenneth Clarke, is expected to set out details of the plan in a statement to MPs today.
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A government source said: “Children get a huge amount of love and support from grandparents.
“That's why we will do what we can to ensure that grandparents can remain part of their grandchild's life if their mum and dad separate.
“But adding a new legal right would make the process even more complex, so it would take much longer, which would be bad for the children we're trying to help.”
The government will include the new direction for grandparents’ access to be considered in new guidelines for divorcing couples.
Parents who are separating will then be expected to take account of rules when they draw up their parenting agreements, or through mediation.
The move follows a government-commissioned review of family law. Ministers will publish their full response today, including a new legal right for children to have a proper relationship with both their parents after a divorce for the first time.
Courts do not agree to grant parents a divorce until they are satisfied with the arrangements made for caring for the children.
The government hopes that ensuring that fathers receive improved access to their offspring after a marriage breaks down will also make
it less likely that paternal grandparents lose contact with their grandchildren.
A ministerial working group will be confirmed today, comprising the education ministers Tim Loughton and Sarah Teather, and the justice minister Jonathan Djanogly.They will be expected to draft proposals to reform the Children’s Act 1989 within two months.
Grandparents’ rights campaigners have previously urged minister to go further and introduce a full legal right to access to grandchildren
“But adding a new legal right would make the process even more complex, so it would take much longer, which would be bad for the children we're trying to help.”
The government will include the new direction for grandparents’ access to be considered in new guidelines for divorcing couples.
Parents who are separating will then be expected to take account of rules when they draw up their parenting agreements, or through mediation.
The move follows a government-commissioned review of family law. Ministers will publish their full response today, including a new legal right for children to have a proper relationship with both their parents after a divorce for the first time.
Courts do not agree to grant parents a divorce until they are satisfied with the arrangements made for caring for the children.
The government hopes that ensuring that fathers receive improved access to their offspring after a marriage breaks down will also make
it less likely that paternal grandparents lose contact with their grandchildren.
A ministerial working group will be confirmed today, comprising the education ministers Tim Loughton and Sarah Teather, and the justice minister Jonathan Djanogly.They will be expected to draft proposals to reform the Children’s Act 1989 within two months.
Grandparents’ rights campaigners have previously urged minister to go further and introduce a full legal right to access to grandchildren
The government wants more divorcing couples to reach agreement on access to their children without resorting to costly and stressful court action to settle custody disputes.