Green Paper on Families
- Details
- Published: Tuesday, 19 January 2010 12:51
- Families Need Fathers is pleased to see the Government looking seriously at the issues that face separating families.
- The Green Paper will hopefully result in a recognition, at last, that children need both parents and both extended families.
Families Need Fathers (FNF) is encouraged by several of the proposals in the Government's Green Paper and is pleased to see the Government looking seriously at the issues that face separating families.
The Green Paper addresses the pressing issues within the Family Justice System and is proposing a comprehensive review. We hope that this will result in a recognition, at last, that children need both parents and both extended families. Other jurisdictions provide a much better service to families and it is time that our system learnt from this.
For years FNF has been lobbying to make proper mediation compulsory before attending court, something that has proven successful in other countries. We are encouraged to see the Government will now consult on this but emphasise that this will have to be of genuine quality and properly resourced.
Most promising is the Government’s commitment to remove the requirement for grandparents to obtain the leave of the court before applying for a contact order. At last they are recognised as a vital part of a child's life.
We are also hopeful that the Government will improve the information available for grandparents seeking better contact with their grandchildren. This follows the FNF campaign 'Beyond the Nuclear' which asked for these important changes. We are pleased to see the Government's commitment to address these issues.
Jon Davies, CEO says “Families Need Fathers welcomes the proposals in the Green Paper and believes they will have a major impact on the quarter of Britain's children living in separated families. We look forward to working with Government to take these proposals forward. Decades of damage cannot be solved with one green paper.”
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