Paul's interest in becoming an FNF trustee stems from two periods in the family courts. 2009 and again in 2018, when he realised the 'system' had not improved at all considering the change in age of his daughter. The Courts and Cafcass had only worsened. What is more, the co-parenting support groups had very fragmented and begun competing with each other. The fragmentation of such groups has allowed single-interest groups to dominate the agenda of shared parenting.

Paul sees FNF as the pioneer and leading support group and as the group which should be the unifying force for positive co-parenting post-separation. 

He is happily (re)married since 2013 and his wife is currently pregnant with twins!

His primary contribution to FNF is professional finance and corporate governance. He has an MBA from Cranfield School of Management and he is a qualified accountant. He has extensive knowledge of the Companies Act 2006, and roles and duties of directors (and trustees). He is a director of companies in UK and Overseas and CEO of a company employing ~3,000 people.

Whilst in a different field, he has been successful in lobbying the UK government in their advisory role to overseas governments on the use of alternative fuels and of GHG emissions. He understands the tenacity required for such lobbying and is adept and building professional networks, locally and internationally. They have an 83% success rate in R&D grant applications with the UK Government, in relation to alternative fuels and emissions reductions.

His contribution would also be the development of sustainable revenue through commercial ventures and sustained sponsorship. The development of grassroots support and the rejuvenation of the local network groups.

He is naturally adept at marketing and promotions and the use of modern media tools for the promotion of ideas and campaigns.

The coronavirus outbreak is wreaking financial havoc for a large proportion of the population.

Jerry Karlin first joined FNF in 2001 when he was close to separation from his wife. He subsequently came on board as a volunteer to work on the Helpline and became increasingly involved with the IT of the helpline and gradually many other areas of FNF as well. In 2012 Jerry was invited to become a Trustee and he was elected Chair and Managing Trustee at the AGM in March 2013. Jerry has been and is still involved in several other charities in Yorkshire where he lives.

Jerry has two children, now at university, with whom he has recently been fortunate enough to regain a relationship after a gap of well over five years. He was married for nine years and has been divorced since 2002 during which time he has been in court well over 40 times (with and without legal representation) over contact and financial issues.

Jerry Karlin has worked in IT since 1979. Initially working for an IT systems house, he left to form a start-up after inventing the RAM-disk. For seven years Jerry gained useful experience running this small organisation and co-managed and developed further related products whilst also carrying out IT consultancy and design. In 2001, after his separation from his wife and children, he joined one of his clients, an innovative investment company (GAM), where he worked as a full-time employee for seven years as Marketing Technology Manager. After 2008, Jerry returned to freelance work in IT development and project management. Concentrating on primarily the finance and investment sectors, he also has experience in media and marketing in general through projects at the Press Association, Xerox, Teletext Holidays and many others.

Born in London, Jerry grew up in the UK, Switzerland and Israel, before settling in Kent until after his divorce, when he moved to York following the unexpected relocation of his children.

Jerry studied physics at Imperial College London and Essex University, moving from physics to computer engineering (computer science with electronics) at Essex. In addition to considerable experience in IT system and software design and practice over the years, Jerry has a strong interest in enterprise and management. He also completed a short course in counselling and a one-year course in hypnotherapy. Other pursuits include various NLP courses, notably with Richard Bandler, Michael Breen and Paul McKenna and most recently with Dr Henrie Lidiard. Since working with FNF, Jerry has had helpline training and has also attended a course on Parental Alienation with an expert in this field, Karen Woodall.

Jerry’s other interests include technology, philosophy, psychology, conflict resolution, energy, religion, community and generally trying to understand why the so-called modern world still needs so much improvement. Also of interest are photography, films, music, food, the internet and the other usual suspects.

Jerry, like all of FNF’s numerous volunteers is working to drive FNF forwards under now very difficult financial conditions to continue to support separating parents and through them their children. His objective is also to promote change in family law and the related services, emphasising the need for more sensitive dispute resolution rather than the “popular” obscenely overpriced and hopefully moribund adversarial approach. Jerry remains appalled and saddened by the alarmingly poor outcomes increasingly coming to light in a surprisingly and shockingly large number of cases. There is much to be done and we need your help!

You've been separated for a while and you were able to see you kids, now suddenly your ex says you can't see them any more.

You come home one day to your partner and child, but find an empty house, or the police were called and you were arrested, the police release you and you find your partner has disappeared with your child. This is the story our service users frequently tell us and they are desperate to find out what's happened to their child. What should you do? - First things first, is there a chance your partner may go abroad with your child(ren)? If so you must act quickly, contact the police, perferably go and see them. Tell them you believe your ex may abduct your child abroad and ask them to put out an "all ports call". Take photos if you have them and their passport details if you know them.

Non-Molestation Orders are injunctions which have a power of arrest, that means you can be arrested by the police if you breach them.  If you breach a Non-Molestation order you can be imprisonned for up to 5 years, fined or both.  They are not convictions, they don't state that you are guilty of the offences listed, but they are very often used to suggest that you have been guilty of these offences.

A Non-Molestation order is defined under the Family Law Act 1996 as having one or both of the following provisions:

(a)provision prohibiting a person ( “the respondent”) from molesting another person who is associated with the respondent;
(b)provision prohibiting the respondent from molesting a relevant child.

In order to be subject to a Non-Molestation order you need to have been associated with that person, e.g. married, agreed to get married, in a civil partnership, co-habited together, they are related, they had an intimate relationship, they had a child together or both had parental responsibility for that child or they are both parties to the same family proceedings.

William Bernet, M.D.

The authors of this book believe that parental alienation is not simply a minor aberration in the life of a family, but a serious mental condition. Because of the false belief that the alienated parent is a dangerous or unworthy person, the child loses one of the most important relationships in his or her life. This book contains much information about the validity, reliability, and prevalence of parental alienation.It also includes a comprehensive international bibliography regarding parental alienation with more than 600 citations. In order to bring life to the definitions and the technical writing, several short clinical vignettes have been included. These vignettes are based on actual families and real events, but have been modified to protect the privacy of both the parents and children.

You can see reviews and purchase this book from Amazon.

If you purchase these publications from Amazon via the links above, FNF receives 5% of your order. Better still, the charity gets 5% of your total order anytime you buy items from Amazon if you enter their site by clicking here!

Dr Mary Welstead

This is a brilliantly written, well-indexed, concise book (114 pp).  It covers practical, emotional and financial points, including a chapter on the children’s best interests. The ‘useful organisations’ list at the back is comprehensive.

It is essential introductory reading for people who are facing the breakdown of marriage, cohabitation or civil partnerships.

Divorce and Separation: a legal guide for all couples

Available to order via Amazon

Linda Jones

Faced with the reality that you are going to split with your partner, the last thing you need is the added worry of what to say to your children or how to answer their questions. This book is here to help. Its easy-to-read style covers the practical, emotional and physical impact of a separation, from breaking the news and organising living arrangements to dating and step-families. It pulls together a wealth of experiences and anecdotes from adults and children, as well as experts, counsellors and lawyers who can offer crucial advice. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, carer or teacher, this book will help you reduce and manage the pain and stress for children when a relationship ends. Forget the guilt trip. All any parent wants for their children is the best and that includes those parents who decide to go their separate ways.

Divorce and Separation - The Essential Guide

Available to order via Amazon