Families need fathers

May 26th 2009

Including the Wider Family campaign renews call for change

- New research from leading charities highlights the importance of grandparents and tragic consequences of children losing contact after separation or divorce

- Issue raised at Prime Minister's Questions after over 100 attend Westminster launch

- Charity members to keep up campaign pressure

Following the massive success of the Including The Wider Family campaign launch last Monday (May 18th), Families Need Fathers, The Grandparents’ Association and Family Matters Institute are renewing their call for greater consideration of wider families and better protection for children’s relationships with them after parents separate.

As well as launching new research reports on the impact of grandparents on children’s welfare (Family Matters Institute’s ‘Do Grandparents Matter’? The Impact of Grandparents on the Wellbeing of Children’) and the tragic consequences of losing contact after parental separation (Families Need Fathers’ and The Grandparents’ Association’s ‘Beyond the Nuclear: Including the Wider Family), the coalition of charities made four key demands of the Government. These are:

‘Think Wider Family’: ensuring that in any policy guidelines, grandparents and the wider family are explicitly considered and named.
Amend the Children Act 1989 to remove the obstacle that requires the agreement of the biological family to ask permission prior to making an application for contact and their case being heard.
Develop a sociological understanding of Grandparenting: funding research, and projects that seek to explore and communicate the role and importance of grandparents to children’s upbringing and welfare, and supporting them in this role.
To ensure that both CAFCASS and the Judiciary consider the important relationship between children and grandparents in the court process and when determining the future arrangements for the child.

In ‘Beyond The Nuclear: Including the Wider Family’ , campaign figurehead Gloria Hunniford calls on the Government to “harness the love and attention that Grandparents yearn to give to their families.” and “address the importance of grandparents in future policy and legislation”.

Families Need Fathers, The Grandparents’ Association and Family Matters Institute are now asking for people to continue the campaign’s momentum by writing to their local Member of Parliament highlighting the four key demands and asking that they take the issue up on behalf of children and wider families.

To read the 'Beyond The Nuclear: Including the Wider Family' online, please visit http://www.fnf.org.uk/publications-and-resources/research

To receive hard copies, or quotes and photographs from the Westminster event on Monday May 18th, please e-mail nick.barnard@fnf.org.uk or call 07979206384 / 0207 6135060

For more information on ‘Do grandparents matter? The Impact of Grandparents on the Wellbeing of Children’ or the Family Matters Institute please contact Matt Buttery (matt@familymatters.org.uk / 07739 306858) or Dr Clifford Hill (cliff@familymatters.org.uk / 01767 641002) or Professor Fiona Brooks (f.m.brooks@herts.ac.uk) or visit www.familymatters.org.uk

For more information on The Grandparents' Association please visit http://www.grandparents-association.org.uk/

Finerday

The launch and 'Beyond the Nuclear: Including the Wider Family' are sponsored and supported by Finerday, a unique online service designed to keep families in touch, with a particular focus on being easy and safe for older and younger users. For more information on Finerday please contact Lilla Harris (07899 917 759 / lilla.harris@finerday.com) or visit http://www.finerday.co.uk

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