Wehave a Petition waiting to appear in the Scottish Governments Patitopn Epetitions. it should be out shortly.
The Scottish Governments has answered alresdy our call for this but we will still carry it through.
Jimmy Deuchars
Grandparents Apart UK
Dear Jimmy,
Thank for you for supporting Grey Pride. We just wanted to let you know that the joint letter to David Cameron (pasted below) will be appearing in Saturday's Telegraph. All organisations will be listed online atTelegraph.co.uk
Thanks again, Hayley on behalf of Grey Pride.
SIR – Unprecedented demographic change and the demands it places on individuals and the state requires an immediate and integrated response from Government.
The Coalition is to be congratulated on the commission on care and support funding. But the recommended solutions address only one element of the enormous changes which our ageing society necessitates.
137,000 Grey Pride supporters propose that a minister should be given explicit responsibility for representing the needs of older people at Cabinet level. Steve Webb, the pensions minister, and Paul Burstow, the social care minister, are among a host of ministers who play crucial roles in elements of public policy relating to older people. Such roles should continue.
But there is no minister whose job title indicates it is also their role to consider the general needs of one of the largest and fastest-growing groups in the country.
The issues affecting older people include care, housing, planning, financial pressures, transport and discrimination. Only by looking at these issues in the round can we create a society which supports older people and recognises and benefits from their valuable contribution.
Hayley Warwick
Account Executive, Citizen Brando
Friday, 25 November 2011
Short debate for a Charter for Grandchildren held in plenary in the National Assembly of Wales
Dear Friends and Members,
There was a short debate for a Charter for Grandchildren held in plenary in the National Assembly of Wales which was opened by Janet Finch-Saunders AM with the full support of the Conservative Group in the Assembly.
I would have thought such a debate would have had the full attention of the other members but only the Deputy Minister for Social Services Gwenda Thomas AM was in attendance.
The Charter for Grandchildren is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and it was those very rights that the Deputy Minister used to advise that the Charter would just confuse.
The minster pointed out that the Welsh Government had “Children’s Measures” in place which placed a duty on Welsh Ministers to have due regard to the UNCRC which is somewhat different to children having rights enshrined in law as she was implying.
Furthermore the minister spoke of Families First, Flying Start, and Communities First which are all part of the Integrated Family Support Service and all very commendable and we as a charity welcome support for families but that relates in the main to poverty and nothing to do with access to grand/parents by children.
The minister was eloquent in her defence of the Welsh Government’s commitment to children and the support of families that I wonder why, is it a fact, that there are so many charities saying different.
Why is it that we have so many charities funded by the same government that have opposing views regarding children not being heard. That is what is confusing!
Only last week another charity was commissioned “Children Screaming to be Heard” and one wonders how can that be, children needing to be heard when in Wales we have a minister in the National Assembly Senedd stating that children are listened to in accordance with the articles in the UNCRC.
Something is not right and grand/parents denied access to the children they love, know it.
No wonder grand/parents lose heart when our leaders give them no hope, but there is hope, and this hope stems from a political group in Wales bringing the plight of children denied access to their grand/parents to the attention of government and it is that hope that we can build on for a better future for our children.
I hope all is well with you.
Frank
Grandparents Apart Wales
There was a short debate for a Charter for Grandchildren held in plenary in the National Assembly of Wales which was opened by Janet Finch-Saunders AM with the full support of the Conservative Group in the Assembly.
I would have thought such a debate would have had the full attention of the other members but only the Deputy Minister for Social Services Gwenda Thomas AM was in attendance.
The Charter for Grandchildren is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and it was those very rights that the Deputy Minister used to advise that the Charter would just confuse.
The minster pointed out that the Welsh Government had “Children’s Measures” in place which placed a duty on Welsh Ministers to have due regard to the UNCRC which is somewhat different to children having rights enshrined in law as she was implying.
Furthermore the minister spoke of Families First, Flying Start, and Communities First which are all part of the Integrated Family Support Service and all very commendable and we as a charity welcome support for families but that relates in the main to poverty and nothing to do with access to grand/parents by children.
The minister was eloquent in her defence of the Welsh Government’s commitment to children and the support of families that I wonder why, is it a fact, that there are so many charities saying different.
Why is it that we have so many charities funded by the same government that have opposing views regarding children not being heard. That is what is confusing!
Only last week another charity was commissioned “Children Screaming to be Heard” and one wonders how can that be, children needing to be heard when in Wales we have a minister in the National Assembly Senedd stating that children are listened to in accordance with the articles in the UNCRC.
Something is not right and grand/parents denied access to the children they love, know it.
No wonder grand/parents lose heart when our leaders give them no hope, but there is hope, and this hope stems from a political group in Wales bringing the plight of children denied access to their grand/parents to the attention of government and it is that hope that we can build on for a better future for our children.
I hope all is well with you.
Frank
Grandparents Apart Wales
Shared parenting to be the norm in Switzerland
By FNF Scotland on Wednesday, November
23, 2011 at 2:16PM
The Swiss government has decided that separated parents should automatically have joint custody of their children except in cases involving the specific protection of the child.
When a couple splits or gets divorced, custody of their children will be shared without the need for a prior agreement or the approval of a judge.
Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said that the Federal Council considered the move obvious, since a child has the right to build an autonomous relationship with both father and mother.
All political parties, as well as family and children's associations, welcomed Sommaruga’s proposal, which is widely expected to pass into law when voted on in parliament in the coming weeks.
But while joint custody is set to become the norm, a judge will still have to sign off on the suitability of both parents to take responsibility for their children. A parent may be denied custody for reasons including infirmity, a history of violence or absence.
At present in Switzerland, when a couple divorces, one parent generally gets sole custody. If the couple is not married, the mother is the legal custodian. For now, joint custody is only possible if both parties sign an agreement on how they plan to distribute and share alimony and childcare.
The draft proposal also regulates the question of residence. If a parent wishes to move, either alone or with the child, he or she will need the consent of the other party. If there is no agreement, a judge will have to intervene to protect the well-being of the child. (The Local english newspaper)
23, 2011 at 2:16PM
The Swiss government has decided that separated parents should automatically have joint custody of their children except in cases involving the specific protection of the child.
When a couple splits or gets divorced, custody of their children will be shared without the need for a prior agreement or the approval of a judge.
Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said that the Federal Council considered the move obvious, since a child has the right to build an autonomous relationship with both father and mother.
All political parties, as well as family and children's associations, welcomed Sommaruga’s proposal, which is widely expected to pass into law when voted on in parliament in the coming weeks.
But while joint custody is set to become the norm, a judge will still have to sign off on the suitability of both parents to take responsibility for their children. A parent may be denied custody for reasons including infirmity, a history of violence or absence.
At present in Switzerland, when a couple divorces, one parent generally gets sole custody. If the couple is not married, the mother is the legal custodian. For now, joint custody is only possible if both parties sign an agreement on how they plan to distribute and share alimony and childcare.
The draft proposal also regulates the question of residence. If a parent wishes to move, either alone or with the child, he or she will need the consent of the other party. If there is no agreement, a judge will have to intervene to protect the well-being of the child. (The Local english newspaper)
Monday, 21 November 2011
Sharon. This is our story.
A million children in Britain are banned from seeing their grandparents because of family breakdown. Now the forgotten victims are fighting back...
By Diana Appleyard
Last updated at 8:13 AM on 29th October 2008
Margaret Deuchar's cosy front room is filled with photographs of her granddaughters. Pictures of the girls as babies, toddlers taking their first, faltering steps and sitting with their hair in neat bunches with their grandparents beaming beside them.
Margaret, 64, points to the pictures proudly - but her eyes fill with tears as she talks about the grandchildren she adores.
Because the children in the pictures - raised by their grandparents after their mother died suddenly - were later torn from Margaret's arms, innocent victims of their father's new relationship and a legal system that gives loving grandparents no rights at all.
No more rights than a stranger: A million children in Britain are banned from seeing their grandparents when families breakdown
Margaret was forced to spend £5,000 of her life's savings, and go through a year-long legal battle to be allowed limited visitation rights.
She says softly: 'We were allowed only one visit every five or six weeks. Just a few precious hours to try to be the grandparents the girls need so badly. It's been so hard.
When we first met up with the girls after nearly a year apart, Sophie clung to me and said: "Why can't we come and stay with you?" and it nearly broke my heart.
'I simply didn't have an answer. How can you tell a child you love that her father's new partner doesn't want you in their lives?'
Sadly, Margaret and husband Jimmy are not alone in their anguish. More and more grandparents are finding that, through divorce, relationship breakdown or bereavement, they are being ripped out of the lives of the grandchildren they love so much.
It is estimated that there are more than a million grandchildren in the UK who are not allowed to see their grandparents.
And with divorce figures ever rising, this sad statistic can only get worse. There is a bleak incomprehension among this generation of ostracised grandparents.
As Jimmy Deuchars says: 'We are the old guard, a generation who believe marriage is for life. Grandparents provide a vital part of the secure base that a child needs to grow up without damage.
'The family should be rock solid and unquestioning. That concept has all but disappeared today.'
'We were cut out of their lives'
Family life for Jimmy and Margaret was torn apart 15 years ago when their 25-year-old daughter was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer. She had just given birth to her younger daughter, Charlotte, and made a heartbreaking plea to her parents as she lay dying.
Jimmy, from Glasgow, falters as he recalls the vows made that day. 'It was just before she died. We were sitting at her hospital bedside and she clung to us and said: "Please, please look after the girls."
'We were all in shock but we held her, kissed her and reassured her that Sophie, then two, and newborn Charlotte would be loved and cared for by us for the rest of our lives.'
Grieving for their mother, the two girls embraced the stability of their grandparents' home. But after three years everything changed.
Margaret recalls: 'Our son-in-law met a new partner, who lived in Liverpool. I don't think she ever really wanted the girls, but she wanted him.
'He scooped them up and took them down to live with her in Liverpool. She didn't want anything to do with his late wife's family, and we were simply cut out of their lives.
'We were told we would be allowed to see them every month, but then contact just slipped away - it was "too cold" to bring them north, or they were busy.
'For at least six months we did not see them at all, which broke our hearts. My husband said he didn't want to go on living if he couldn't see his granddaughters, which was why we took legal action so quickly.'
For this gentle couple, whose lives have always revolved around family, the shock was immense. 'I could not believe anyone would do this,' Jimmy says. 'We were the girls' security. They loved their dad, but they relied on us.'
Like many other grandparents before them, Jimmy and Margaret were utterly horrified to discover they had no more rights to see their grandchildren than a stranger.
'We're not wealthy, but we knew we had to do something. We saw a lawyer, and said we had to battle this out in the courts,' Margaret says.
The forgotten victims: Many grandparents are denied access to their grandchildren out of spite when parents separate
After a year of wrangling, it was agreed they could see the girls once a month.
'It was heart-breaking, but better than nothing.' Jimmy says, 'When we saw them after all that time apart, we were all crying.
'We met up halfway between Glasgow and Liverpool, at Carlisle Castle, and as they came running up to us with their arms outstretched, we both burst into tears.'
For the next three years, the couple drove to Carlisle every month to see their granddaughters.
'There were always a thousand hugs and kisses. They'd ask us: "Why? Why couldn't we see you, Grandad?" 'What could we say? We took them out for lunch, they ran about in the castle grounds, and then it would be time to say goodbye.
'Every time it was so painful, and I'd drive home with my wife in floods of tears.'
Jimmy points to the photographs of his granddaughters. The couple see the girls, now 15 and 17, around 11 times a year, including holidays.
'They are the most important thing in our lives,' he says. It is a tragic truth that all too often in the bitter fallout from a divorce or break-up, children are used as pawns to 'punish' the other partner - while the grandparents are caught up in this emotional blackmail.
In 90 per cent of cases, as women generally win custody of the children, it is the ex-husband and his parents who are cast out into the cold.
After his experience, Jimmy Deuchars is campaigning for a change in the law.
'We need this Charter for Grandchildren' he says. 'The relationship between a young child and a grandparent is so special, and yet there are a million children in the UK wondering what they did that is so bad they're no longer allowed to see granny or grandpa.'
Sunday, 20 November 2011
Beware of the Amazon Scam.
I bought my wife a kindle from Amazon. The adapter came from a different source from the Kindle. We plugged it in to charge it and the adapter blew up and fused all my power source. I emailed Amazon with all the details and all they replied was contact their helpline at £1.53p a minute when every detail was in front of them
The adapter would only cost about £4.00p but it is ridiculous that we have to pay them to get our statuary rights.
Saturday, 19 November 2011
The rambling of David Norgrove.
I n a letter to one of our callers David Norgrove has promoted grandparents as important in a child’s lives to vital. Unfortunately he did not make it legal. He goes on to say that contact for grandparents after the parents split up is still the norm until grandparents take sides and cause trouble. It breaks our hearts to see our son or daughter split up and in a bid to protect the children grandparents make it clear that they won’t take sides in an effort to give the parting parents the chance to make up.
The problem starts when the parent who has the children meets another partner and they want the family all to themselves. Then big changes happen. They expect grandparents to take it on the chin that they won’t see their grandchildren any more. The children get used as weapons to get at the other parent and grandparent and bring about separation altogether. Animosity comes out and the other parent, grandparents/children are sadly the losers as the law only favours one parent. This is a very vicious step to the innocent parties when the contact has been very close as seldom is the children’s feelings taken into account. One day a child has a father and two grandparents then suddenly they don’t.
Write to your local authority and government asking them to accept the Charter for Grandchildren which focuses on the best interests of the child. Grandparents can be a huge asset to children’s stability, caring, protection early intervention offering huge savings to local authorities.
Almost 40,000 children are subject to a child protection plan, Children in Need Census reveals
Welsh Ass. Debate on charter for grandchildren./
Grandparents Apart Wales is putting forward in a Short Debate in the National Assembly of Wales on the 23th November 2011 "A Charter for Grandchildren" and it will be led by the very able Conservative Assembly Member Mrs. Janet Finch-Saunders AM.
I sent the speech to Jimmy for him to read as I am so thankful that people such as you and Jimmy are there to support grandparents denied acess from their grandchildren.
My journey has been long but I have stuck with it, sometimes alone, but never without faith and with the knowledge that people like you Jimmy and others were there to help me should that be necessary.
So this breakthrough is a success for Grandparents Apart UK and I hope that we can look forward to better things in the future,
I look forward to this essential debate for the sake of children and families in general.
Cheers June you are simply something else!
Best wishes
Frank x
I sent the speech to Jimmy for him to read as I am so thankful that people such as you and Jimmy are there to support grandparents denied acess from their grandchildren.
My journey has been long but I have stuck with it, sometimes alone, but never without faith and with the knowledge that people like you Jimmy and others were there to help me should that be necessary.
So this breakthrough is a success for Grandparents Apart UK and I hope that we can look forward to better things in the future,
I look forward to this essential debate for the sake of children and families in general.
Cheers June you are simply something else!
Best wishes
Frank x
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