Welcome to the Northampton Branch page!

We are an affiliate branch of the UK's leading shared parenting charity, Families Need Fathers.

We provide help, advice and support for those that are dealing with children's matters before, during and after relationship breakdown. All are welcome - be they mothers, fathers or grandparents.

There is no cost for attending our meetings although we encourage everyone to make a donation towards running costs. We also request visitors to consider becoming members of FNF to help our organisation to keep going in especially difficult times for all.

Upcoming Meetings & Events

Due to Covid-19, these branch meetings have been suspended.

Meeting Location

We meet at The Training Room of Tesco Extra in Weston Favell Shopping Centre. Please check the Upcoming Events for any last-minute changes.

Contact

If you have any queries, please contact Peter on 07816 905 439. Alternatively, email peterjs65@hotmail.com or Northampton.Meeetings@fnf.org.uk. Please do not contact the venue as they will not be able to help you.

Policy 

All matters are discussed in complete confidence under the Chatham House Rule.

The format of the evening once introductions have been made is to first allow newcomers to explain their circumstances and invite opinions/advice from those present who can maybe apply their own experiences and opinions.

Newcomers are not obliged to speak and are welcome to observe – we like to provide a relaxed, pressure free forum for discussion.

We then throw open the floor for others to discuss their own ongoing situations be they asking for advice or announcing progress or good news.

Welcome to the Northern Ireland Branch page!

We are an affiliate branch of the UK's leading shared parenting charity, Families Need Fathers.

We provide help, advice and support for those that are dealing with children's matters before, during and after relationship breakdown. All are welcome - be they mothers, fathers or grandparents.

There is no cost for attending our meetings although we encourage everyone to make a donation towards running costs. We also request visitors to consider becoming members of FNF to help our organisation to keep going in especially difficult times for all.

Upcoming Meetings & Events

We meet at 7:30pm on the first Monday of every month (unless that's a Bank Holiday, in which case it's the 2nd Monday at 7pm)

Meeting Location

We meet at The Hudson Bar in Belfast. Please check the Upcoming Events for any last-minute changes.

Contact

If you have any queries, please contact Joe on 07711 022 151 or Stephen on 07711725962. Alternatively, email Belfast.Meetings@fnf.org.uk. Please do not contact the venue as they will not be able to help you.

Policy 

All matters are discussed in complete confidence under the Chatham House Rule.

The format of the evening once introductions have been made is to first allow newcomers to explain their circumstances and invite opinions/advice from those present who can maybe apply their own experiences and opinions.

Newcomers are not obliged to speak and are welcome to observe – we like to provide a relaxed, pressure free forum for discussion.

We then throw open the floor for others to discuss their own ongoing situations be they asking for advice or announcing progress or good news.

Welcome to the Oxford Branch page!

We are an affiliate branch of the UK's leading shared parenting charity, Families Need Fathers.

We provide help, advice and support for those that are dealing with children's matters before, during and after relationship breakdown. All are welcome - be they mothers, fathers or grandparents.

There is no cost for attending our meetings although we encourage everyone to make a donation towards running costs. We also request visitors to consider becoming members of FNF to help our organisation to keep going in especially difficult times for all.

Upcoming Meetings & Events

Due to Covid-19, these branch meetings are currently suspended.

Meeting Location

We meet at The Duke of Monmouth in Oxford. Please check the Upcoming Events for any last-minute changes.

Contact

If you have any queries, please contact Rick on 07921 857 558. Alternatively, contact the branch using the online form. Please do not contact the venue as they will not be able to help you.

Policy 

All matters are discussed in complete confidence under the Chatham House Rule.

The format of the evening once introductions have been made is to first allow newcomers to explain their circumstances and invite opinions/advice from those present who can maybe apply their own experiences and opinions.

Newcomers are not obliged to speak and are welcome to observe – we like to provide a relaxed, pressure free forum for discussion.

We then throw open the floor for others to discuss their own ongoing situations be they asking for advice or announcing progress or good news.

Welcome to the Plymouth Branch page!

We are an affiliate branch of the UK's leading shared parenting charity, Families Need Fathers.

We provide help, advice and support for those that are dealing with children's matters before, during and after relationship breakdown. All are welcome - be they mothers, fathers or grandparents.

There is no cost for attending our meetings although we encourage everyone to make a donation towards running costs of £4 if you are waged, or £2 if you are not. We also request visitors to consider becoming members of FNF to help our organisation to keep going in especially difficult times for all.

Upcoming Meetings & Location

Please refer to http://plymouth.fnf.org.uk for details.

Contact

If you have any queries, please contact Andy on 01752 793 325 or Philly on 01752 770 699. Alternatively, email Plymouth.Meetings@fnf.org.uk. Please do not contact the venue as they will not be able to help you.

Policy 

All matters are discussed in complete confidence under the Chatham House Rule.

The format of the evening once introductions have been made is to first allow newcomers to explain their circumstances and invite opinions/advice from those present who can maybe apply their own experiences and opinions.

Newcomers are not obliged to speak and are welcome to observe – we like to provide a relaxed, pressure free forum for discussion.

We then throw open the floor for others to discuss their own ongoing situations be they asking for advice or announcing progress or good news.

Useful Local Documents

• FNF - Both Parents Matter Plymouth Branch Manifesto for Plymouth City Council's Child Poverty Strategy of October 2012

Welcome to the Reading Branch page!

We are an affiliate branch of the UK's leading shared parenting charity, Families Need Fathers.

We provide help, advice and support for those that are dealing with children's matters before, during and after relationship breakdown. All are welcome - be they mothers, fathers or grandparents.

There is no cost for attending our meetings although we encourage everyone to buy a drink at the bar and if possible make a donation towards running costs. We also request visitors to consider becoming members of FNF to help our organisation to keep going in especially difficult times for all.

Upcoming Meetings & Events

We meet at 8:00pm on the first, third and fifth Monday of every month (on Tuesday if the Monday falls on a bank holiday). Please contact the Branch to confirm details on these dates.

Meeting Location

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this branch meetings have moved online. Please check with the branch beforehand that the meeting is taking place and how to join

Please check the Upcoming Events for any last-minute changes.

Contact

If you have any queries, please contact Giuseppe 07594 179106 or Patrick 07725 653866, Both from 6:00pm weekdays plus weekends. Alternatively, email Reading.Meetings@fnf.org.uk. Please do not contact the venue as they will not be able to help you.

Policy 

All matters are discussed in complete confidence under the Chatham House Rule.

The format of the evening once introductions have been made is to first allow newcomers to explain their circumstances and invite opinions/advice from those present who can maybe apply their own experiences and opinions.

Newcomers are not obliged to speak and are welcome to observe – we like to provide a relaxed, pressure free forum for discussion.

We then throw open the floor for others to discuss their own ongoing situations be they asking for advice or announcing progress or good news.

Welcome to the Sheffield Branch page!

We are an affiliate branch of the UK's leading shared parenting charity, Families Need Fathers.

We provide help, advice and support for those that are dealing with children's matters before, during and after relationship breakdown. All are welcome - be they mothers, fathers or grandparents.

There is no cost for attending our meetings although we encourage everyone to buy a drink at the bar and if possible make a donation towards running costs. We also request visitors to consider becoming members of FNF to help our organisation to keep going in especially difficult times for all.

Upcoming Meetings & Events

Due to Covid-19, this group meetings are suspended.

Meeting Location

We meet at The Old Queen's Head in Sheffield. Please check the Upcoming Events for any last-minute changes.

Contact

If you have any queries, please contact Mark on 01142 869 007 or Andy (6-8pm only) on 01142 583 992. Alternatively, email Sheffield.Meetings@fnf.org.uk. Please do not contact the venue as they will not be able to help you.

Policy 

All matters are discussed in complete confidence under the Chatham House Rule.

At the meeting there is a general review of the previous month and a welcome to new members. All present are then given the opportunity to speak in front of the group about their own particular circumstance. Help and advice is given where appropriate. Guest speakers are welcome. The atmosphere is generally informal and relaxed. 

Newcomers are not obliged to speak and are welcome to observe – we like to provide a relaxed, pressure free forum for discussion.

Welcome to the Solent Branch page!

We are an affiliate branch of the UK's leading shared parenting charity, Families Need Fathers.

We provide help, advice and support for those that are dealing with children's matters before, during and after relationship breakdown. All are welcome - be they mothers, fathers or grandparents.

There is no cost for attending our meetings although we encourage everyone to make a donation towards running costs. We also request visitors to consider becoming members of FNF to help our organisation to keep going in especially difficult times for all.

Formed to help support the people of the Solent district, the roots of FNF Solent can be traced back to 2004. We have made appearances on local radio and television programmes, we also run Father's Day's events and have our annual FNF Solent Panto outing.

Upcoming Meetings & Events

Due to Covid-19, these branch meetings are suspended.

Meeting Location

We meet at The Community Room in Tesco Fareham. Please check Our website for the next meeting details.

Contact

If you have any queries, please contact Allan on 07722 444 480. Alternatively, email solent.meetings@fnf.org.uk. Please do not contact the venue as they will not be able to help you.

Policy 

All matters are discussed in complete confidence under the Chatham House Rule.

Come along and catch up/update us to how things are going we are always looking for up to date experience, views and thoughts. Give a little back to others who may be in a position you have been in the past. It can be a tough lonely time. If you're a 'Newbie' don't be put off, there are lots of other people who have been in the same position and we are here to help. So old and new, come along and get an evening out the house.

Paul Apreda, National Manager of FNF Both Parents Matter Cymru and FNF Trustee addressed the Welsh Assembly Petitions Committee evidence session together with Dr Sue Whitcombe - Chartered Psychologist.

PRESS RELEASE – 20^th April 2017 - For immediate release

Tuesday 25^th April is
Parental Alienation Awareness Day

Family separation may bring out the worst in parenting behaviour, forcing children into the focus of family conflict. Remarkably often, this may turn into Parental Alienation (PA), causing long-term damage to children.

Families Need Fathers have compiled a handy self-assessment Good Parenting after separation quiz. This gives clues as to how parents might avoid the pitfalls that are all too common when couples part.

Download it here:

The questions have been put together with input from expert in the field, Dr Sue Whitcombe and supported by MATCH (Mothers Apart from Their CHildren).

The behaviours identified lead to children expressing an irrational and unwarranted fear or hatred of a parent with whom they previously had a normal, loving relationship. This is a sign of psychological distress and often results in a child rejecting a healthy parent-child relationship as they are unable to manage this distress. Left unchecked it results in the destruction not only parental relationships, but also grandparental and other family relationships with half of a child’s family as well as long-term damage to the child.

· Approximately 50% of FNF service users identify PA as a factor in their family separation.

· A recent Parliamentary petition attracted 12,000 signatories supporting criminalising PA.

· Parental Alienation was debated in Parliament on 15th March in Simon Danczuk MP’s ‘Adjournment’ debate on the subject (see Hansard here).

· PA was referenced on 28th March in Suella Fernandes MP’s Ten Minute Rule Motion on Family Justice (see Hansard here).

Please address any queries/requests for data to Michael Lewkowicz at FNF (michael.lewkowicz@fnf.org.uk)

Scottish media contact Ian Maxwell at FNF Scotland (ian.maxwell@fnfscotland.org)
Welsh media contact Paul Apreda at FNF BPM Cymru (paul@fnf-bpm.org.uk)

Notes for editors:

Families Need Fathers - because both parents matter
FNF is a registered charity providing information and support on shared parenting issues arising from family breakdown, and support to divorced and separated parents, irrespective of gender or marital status. FNF is NOT a fathers' rights group - we support the best interests of children - namely mature and collaborative parenting by both parents - an objective which is inadequately promoted in the family court system and associated services.

Our primary concern is the maintenance of the child’s meaningful relationship with both parents.

Founded in 1974, FNF helps thousands of parents every year.

Until Parliament Addresses Issues of
BOTH Receiving and Paying Parents, the CMS will Continue to Fail!

The Work and Pensions Select Committee Inquiry into Child Maintenance was published on 2^nd May 2017, having taken extensive evidence from individuals, academics and stakeholder charities such as Families Need Fathers (FNF) and Gingerbread.

Families Need Fathers are disappointed that MPs on the Committee have missed an opportunity to get to grips with the underlying issues of the problems and difficulties in the collection of Child Maintenance. The Committee’s report rightly focuses on the difficulties for Parents With Care (PWCs), but fails to investigate or even acknowledge the written and oral evidence from paying parents and expert submissions. Such evidence included input based on a survey of over 800 Families Need Fathers service users as well as numerous individual submissions about the serious underlying problems of the formula used for calculating Child Maintenance. The report gives the impression of key evidence not even having been read. That this evidence does not feature in the Committees report is, we believe, a gross omission that must be rectified by the new Parliament after the general election.

In particular, the Inquiry report misses an opportunity to address:

1. 1. Affordability
The report fails to recommend a review affordability. People cannot pay what they don’t have and the current formula for Child Maintenance does not take into account paying parents’ cost of living. Indeed, the thresholds for paying Child Maintenance have not been adjusted for inflation since 1998 and the Report has nothing to say about this anomaly despite the clear evidence its failure. Dr Christine Davies’ authoritative written submissions on the non-affordability of Child Maintenance by paying parents on low incomes has also been disregarded – her evidence can be seen here and here.

2. Discouraging Shared Parenting
   The report fails to address the difficulties of shared parenting. In oral evidence the charity Gingerbread agreed with FNF that the Child Maintenance formula is counter to shared parenting arrangements after separation. That Child Maintenance must be paid by one parent to the other even when they essentially share parenting equally is an affront to modern living. It supports the outdated model of father as ‘provider’ and mother as ‘carer’. The 2014 Children and Families Act sought to begin to redress this and attempted to do away with the concept of ‘non-resident’ and ‘resident’ parents. This message seems not yet got through to the Department or the Committee. – Instead of facilitating shared parenting Child Maintenance discourages it.
   
   
3. Increasing Family Conflict
   Families Need Fathers appreciate that Family Based Arrangements, promoted by the Department for Work and Pensions, can and do work for many parents. However, the Committees Report does not address the multitude of ways in which the Child Maintenance formula provides separated parents with a stick with which to beat each other and fight over money rather than encourage collaboration in their children’s best interests e.g. there is a one seventh increase in child maintenance to the PWC for every 52 nights a child spends with the paying parent, however, if a court order for once a week visits is broken even once, the receiving parent can (and many do) ask for this reduction to be repaid – in effect rewarding the breaking of contact orders for children.

The failure of the Committee’s report to make a meaningful impact rests largely on its focus on the issues of receiving parents. Until key issues are addressed for BOTH receiving and paying parents are addressed major difficulties will continue e.g.

• Child Maintenance arrears of £4bn will continue to grow.
• A million children will continue to grow-up without their father in their lives.
• Children will continue to lose out on half of their extended paternal families: grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, etc.
  
  

These deeply damaging losses to children in both love and support as well as finance will continue and get worse.

Self-Employment

The Committee has put considerable focus on self-employment and the inclusion of the ‘lifestyle’ grounds for variation where it appeared that the paying parent was concealing their income and hence not supporting their child. The logic with removing the ‘lifestyle’ ground for variation was that the ‘income’ figure used moved from net to gross income. Thus, it is far harder to manipulate the primary input.

A re-introduction of this would restore added subjectivity that it was previously thought to be undesirable and which has directly led to many inappropriate assessments by the CSA. If the CMS are given any more discretion, it's likely to result in further challenges. Mandatory reconsideration figures will rise (at increased cost to the DWP) and calculations, which are already un-affordable will be made even more so. It will also lead to potentially vastly different ’legal obligations’ as far as maintenance is concerned for two people with very similar circumstances (that can't be ‘fair’).

Further, there is a difference between efficient tax planning and illegality. Gingerbread imply that these are one and the same, but we question that and suggest instead a focus on aligning the CMS formula with more realistic cost estimates on the cost of bringing up children as well as encouraging more participation of both parents in the process.

The issues of the self-employed, we believe, would be best served by remaining HMRC’s responsibility - to get an accurate picture of people’s earnings/assets and only then for the CMS to make assessments.

We believe that shifting ‘affordability’ assessment back again to the CMS would be a big and retrograde step. After all CMS have not shown themselves efficient or effective when it comes to difficult cases and it seems absurd to have separate assessments of people’s incomes through different departments. It must be more sensible to make HMRC do what it is supposed to do and to leave CMS to make formulaic decisions as much as possible. Additionally, it would appear that this would blur the lines of responsibility and risk further confusion and difficulties.

Poor Value for Money for Taxpayers

The CSA was discredited and replaced by CMS. Key failings of CSA remain unaddressed. The service costs £114m and offers very poor value for money to the taxpayer, parents and children. Child Maintenance needs to be re-thought from top to bottom.

In her evidence to the Work and Pensions Select Committee Inquiry into Child Maintenance on 7th December 2016, the Minister, Caroline Nokes, reported that the cost of Child Maintenance collection service is £114m (2015-16) and that it facilitated the collection of £594m in Child Maintenance payments. In her answer to a subsequent question, Ms Nokes stated:

‘The vast majority of people using the Child Maintenance Service are paying regularly. Seven out of eight non-resident parents are paying a contribution towards their maintenance liabilities every single month. That is the space that we are in: 90% of child maintenance is paid and it is paid on time. We are now talking about the remaining 10%.’

The implication of this is that the vast majority of the £114m cost of the service is spent on chasing around 10% of ‘difficult’ cases – a large proportion of which may be uncollectable given the failure to take into account affordability.

Difficulties of the Child Maintenance Formula

o It lacks an affordability test for the paying parent and thresholds to take into account paying parents’ cost of living have not been reviewed for inflation for almost 20 years.

o It takes no account of relative income.

o It takes no account of debts – mostly incurred in family proceedings

o 15% of paying parents driven into poverty, debt and ill health, some report suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts.

o It disincentivises work - 17% of ‘paying parents’ opt out of work completely.

o It also disincentivises Parents With Care (PWCs) (mostly mums) from working even when their children attend school full-time (32% surveyed).

o CMS 20% collection charge when NRPs have payment difficulties push many further into debt and despair and is inequitable.

o These shortcomings deprive families with children of over £200m a year……and huge amounts of love and parenting.

Jerry Karlin, Chair of Families Need Fathers says “Too many dads are downtrodden rather than deadbeats. Our child maintenance system is inadequate and undermines shared parenting. It discourages parents from working and pushes many into severe hardship and poverty. This Committee’s report simply tinkers around the edges, but does not address fundamental flaws in the system. For the sake of our children, CMS must be completely reformed.”

References:

Families Need Fathers submitted written evidence is here and here, including quotations from respondents to our survey of over 800 service users

Our oral evidence is recorded here.

Oral evidence from the Miniser is here.

FNF BPM Cymru’s written evidence is here.

Authoritative evidence of Dr Christine Davies can be found here and here.

The report of the Select Committee is here

Individual written submissions can be found here.

Please address any queries/requests for data to Michael Lewkowicz at FNF (michael.lewkowicz@fnf.org.uk) - mobile 07496 157110.

Notes for editors:

Families Need Fathers - because both parents matter
FNF is a registered charity providing information and support on shared parenting issues arising from family breakdown, and support to divorced and separated parents, irrespective of gender or marital status. FNF is NOT a fathers' rights group - we support the best interests of children - namely mature and collaborative parenting by both parents - an objective which is inadequately promoted in the family court system and associated services.

Our primary concern is the maintenance of the child’s meaningful relationship with both parents.

Founded in 1974, FNF helps thousands of parents every year.