Well, many of you will probably be unaware that the 15th May is International Day of Families. You will also be unaware that the theme for the International Day of Families 2008 is Fathers and Families: Responsibilities and Challenges.

Why is this? Could it be because the UK Government doesn't honour this UN backed marking of the day?

While the rest of the country lets this day pass without incident, we ask you to spend a moment reflecting on why this day is so blatantly ignored by this Labour Government, and why hardly anybody knows about it in the UK.

The UN has wisely spotted that Fathers and Families is a serious issue that needs to be publicised and highlighted amongst UN member states. Shame on Gordon Brown's Government for ignore once again the plight of Britain's children, and allowing the erosion of the two parent family to continue unabated.

Below is the article published by the UN Secretary for this years theme.

» Read More

The Sun
8/5/08
Kelvin MacKenzie
DURING a particularly acrimonious divorce a friend of mine was banned from watching his son playing football at school.

It broke his heart and he blamed his wife for turning the boy against him. However, there was nothing he could do and it appears he is not alone.

In a little-reported case, Lord Justice Ward told a father it was a scandal the way his mother had turned their teenage daughter against him but there was nothing he could do.

The "drip, drip, drip of venom" poured into the daughter’s ears by the mother included false accusations of sexual abuse against the innocent father following the couple’s divorce.

The wife’s tactics were so successful that the daughter wrote to her father when she was nine saying she wished he was dead.

Impotent
The judge said the court had to act in the best interest of the child and the girl would be too distressed if she was forced to spend time with the father.

He added: "The father complains bitterly, passionately and with every justification that the law is sterile, impotent and utterly useless."

In America they call this behaviour Parental Alienation Syndrome and persistent offenders are jailed.
Between 15,000 and 20,000 couples go to court to resolve child access disputes.

It’s too often that courts side with the mothers and are too ready to believe what they say. It’s time courts started from the legal presumption of shared parenting.

The way some wives use their children as pawns in the divorce battle is disgusting.

Comments

This is London

'Disgraceful': Judges condemn council that rushed through adoption of a baby girl before her natural father could prevent it
Last updated at 10:52am on 02.05.08

JusticeThorpe
Critical: Justice Thorpe said East Sussex County Council handled a girl's adoption disgracefully
The conduct of social workers who rushed through the adoption of a baby girl before her natural father could prevent it was damned as "disgraceful" by three senior judges yesterday.

Lord Justice Thorpe said the decision to place the child with adoptive parents 24 hours before the father was due in court to fight for his daughter gave the "clearest inference" that the council was out to "gain its ends by means more foul than fair".

He accused East Sussex County Council of deliberately setting out to prevent the father from being heard in court and, in the process, adding to public mistrust of the secrecy surrounding Family Courts.

In an unprecedented attack on social services, the High Court judge referred to the Government "bonus" system which Rewards local authorities financially for meeting targets on adoption.

He said: "Many assert that councils have a secret agenda to establish a high score of children that they have placed for adoption.

"When such suspicions are rife, a history such as this only serves to fuel public distrust in the good faith of public authority."

His views were echoed by fellow judges Lord Justice Wall and Lord Justice Wilson, who called the council's actions "disgraceful" and "an abuse of power".

The judges went on to dismiss - "with regret" - an appeal by the father against the enforced adoption of his daughter, but the two-to-one majority decision was issued with a scathing condemnation of the behaviour of the council.

The child, identified only as J-L, was born in June 2006 after the parents had a casual relationship.

The man did not find out he was the father until nine months after the birth, when the council asked for his co-operation in a DNA test.

The child was living with her mother in a social services unit at the time but in June 2007 the mother left her in the unit and the council recommended she be put up for adoption.

» Read More

The award-winning production company Films of Record has been commissioned by the BBC to make a 3-part series to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of the 1989 Children Act. Hailed as a piece of enlightened legislation at the time, this documentary will examine whether its lofty ideals are being delivered in practice.

But are the high ideals of The Children Act being delivered? And if not, why not? Are there flaws in the Family Law system?

Research collated by charity ‘Relate’ suggests that the single most important factor in the long-term emotional wellbeing of a child of divorced parents is their relationship with the non-resident parent – in over 90% of cases, this is the father. Studies show that children with poor or non-existent relationships with their fathers tend to have-

• Lower self esteem
• Higher incidence of behavioural problems
• Higher incidence of stress & mental illness such as depression
• Lower academic achievement
• Higher criminality & substance abuse
• More problems forming relationships with partners
• More likelihood of passing similar problems onto their own children

Separation is a difficult and emotionally draining process, especially when children are involved, and the family courts are intended to facilitate more straightforward dealings between parents so as to best protect the interests of the children.

Yet widely recognised - and disturbing - estimates suggest that up to 40% of fathers lose touch with their children within three years of divorce. The series will examine why this is the case, scrutinising the law and how it is administered. Does the adversarial nature of the British court system make things worse? Would compulsory mediation make things better?

In a separate study published last year, researchers found that children came off worst when parents continued to argue over access and ignored their wishes. One fifth of the children surveyed said that they did not have enough say over where they spent their time. High levels of parental conflict are understood to cause serious harm to children.

The core principle of The Children Act - the welfare of the child is paramount - is also central to the BBC series. It will explore the role of the father in the modern family and the long-term psychological importance for children of maintaining a relationship with both parents after separation- both in the short term and over a lifetime.

Films of Record, the producers, are an award-winning production company experienced in making films about complex issues that are both legally and emotionally sensitive. This series is planned to transmit in 2009, twenty years after the Children Act came onto the statute book.

You can find more information on the Films of Record website: www.filmsofrecord.com

The programme-makers are looking for parents affected by these issues who would like to find out more and perhaps be involved with the programme. We are also interested to hear from sons and daughters who have lost contact with a parent after separation or divorce and feel that it has had a significant impact on their lives.

Please contact Clare Johns on 0207 286 0333
OR email clarej@filmsofrecord.com

Getting in touch will in no way commit you to taking part in the series. All information will be treated with the utmost confidence.

Times Online
Rosemary Bennett, Social Affairs Correspondent
May 1, 2008

Comments
Add your comment

A senior judge spoke out against child access law yesterday, saying that the courts were powerless to help decent fathers to see their children if vengeful mothers stood in the way.

Lord Justice Ward made his comments after telling a father that there was nothing he could do to help him to re-establish contact with his teenage daughter who had been turned against him by her “vicious” mother.

The “drip, drip, drip of venom” poured into the daughter’s ears by the mother included accusations of sexual abuse against the innocent father after the couple divorced, the judge said.

The former wife’s tactics were so successful that the daughter wrote to her father when she was 9 saying that she wished he was dead. The daughter is now 14. The identity of the family must be kept secret to protect her privacy.

» Read More

News has reached us of 3 arrests in Wolverhampton this morning.

A peaceful protest was planned today to highlight the wrongful arrest of campaigning father Ray Barry, leaflets had been printed and several campaigners planned to quietly distribute them outside a Wolverhampton Police station.

Ray has now been arrested 4 times for alleged harassment charges, he has already had the CPS say his Megaphonedad website is not illegal followed by civil action which found he had not broken any law, indeed he even successfully claimed compensation for the first wrongful arrest.

He was found not guilty of harassment by the High Court for displaying on his website covert footage of his ex wife allegedly alienating his children against him whilst conducting a sordid affair during their marriage

Mr Barry is a lifelong Christian, had trained as a priest and has done several stunts to highlight the failings of family law, he is also the Chairman of the Equal Parenting Alliance Party, he stood as their candidate in the Scottish Parliamentary elections fighting for the seat against the then Labour Party Justice Minister, Cathie Jamieson.

Rffj had been informed about the protest in advance, we understand at least one of our members was among those arrested, to our best knowledge there was never any suggestion of anything other than distributing leaflets outside of a police station, why these men were arrested remains a mystery and perhaps symptomatic of Labour's apparent plans to turn the UK into a police state.

If you want to show support for him and and other arrested men, please phone Sergeant Cuddeford - 0190 2649084, the men are yet to be charged and are currently still being held in police cells.

» Read More

Daily Mail Tuesday 26th February 2008
Commentary
By Demetrious Panton - who exposed the scandal of sex abuse in Islington children's homes

MY mouth went dry and my fists clenched when I heard about the remains found in Jersey. I felt sorrow and rage that police are once again belatedly investigating a huge paedophile ring based on care home kids, and expect to dig up more bodies.

A ring of evil men exploited the most vulnerable children imaginable for up to 40 years, and no one stopped them.

It is emerging now that the victims repeatedly begged for help. Why did no one listen? I have a pretty good idea why not, given how viciously the politically- correct establishment silenced me about the similar paedophile ring which raped me.

I was sexually abused by two male workers in children's homes in Islington, North London, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I was unusual, a kid who did not seek escape through drugs or suicide.

» Read More

Around 50 protesters turned up for the arranged demo at Edinburgh's Scottish parliament this week, Rffj were invited to attend by Grandparents Apart chair Jimmy Deuchars.

The protest was covered by STV and local press (links to follow)

Rffj spokesman Mike Kelly said "We were happy to accept the invitation from Jimmy to join forces for this protest, our grim reapers certainly brought some colour to the event!"

"On a serious note Family law in the UK has not improved, fathers are still being treated as second class parents, this demonstration clearly shows that the injustices affect not only fathers but the extended family including grandparents"

"I Spoke to one sprightly grandmother who lost her only granddaughter to a forced adoption"

"It was heartbreaking to hear how she and her husband had been overlooked by social workers as potential foster carers when her daughter was having problems with post natal depression"

"The system must be open and accountable, a principle of shared parenting must be enshrined in law as a starting point after divorce or separation, grandparents should have an automatic right to contact"

"On a positive note Mr Nigel Don MSP, a member of the justice committee, came to talk to protest organisers and promised to report back to other justice committee members"


Rffj will be liaising with Scottish members on the outcome of these talks, we promise more direct action north of the border if this is simply more hot air from the politicians.

Nigel Don is seen chatting to protest organisers in the first second of this Youtube clip

From The Times
February 15, 2008
Rosemary Bennett

Dozens of children involved in family court cases are at risk of abuse because of “serious failings” in the £100 million-a-year advisory service set up to represent their views.

The first Ofsted inspection into the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), which examined the East Midlands region, concluded the operation was “inadequate” and child safety was compromised on numerous occasions.

The report revealed that during last summer’s inspection, Ofsted officials had to intervene directly in seven separate cases to make sure that children being represented by Cafcass advisers were not at immediate risk of violence, neglect or sexual assault.

In a host of other cases where safeguarding was clearly an issue, inspectors found Cafcass advisers had not even checked with the relevant local authority that child protection teams were aware of the situation.

Ofsted has ordered an immediate and thorough audit of all teams in the area to make sure they understand how child protection works.

Cafcass was set up in 2001 by Tony Blair to make sure the wishes and views of children were properly represented in the family courts. Much of the work involves custody and access disputes when parents separate. Cafcass is also responsible for representing children when they are put into care or are up for adoption.

Within months of starting up, a huge backlog of cases built up, with some parents forced to wait for up to two years for Cafcass to file its report on the children involved.

The service has also been attacked by fathers’ rights groups who accuse Cafcass social workers, who advise the court, of siding with mothers.

Today’s Ofsted report is the first rigorous analysis of its work, the schools inspector that took over responsibility for monitoring Cafcass last year.

It cited cases of four-year-old children being judged as “too young to express wishes and feelings”.

In another case an 11-month-old child was said to be too young to appreciate “the political significance of his circumstances”. Far too many reports were based on opinion, not evidence, and many were full of errors. Analysis of facts was poor, with advisers too often jumping to conclusions. In many cases inspectors had no idea how Cafcass advisers reached their recommendations.

Reports were frequently sprinkled with bizarre observations such as “P was born by Caesarean section” or that the parents lived in “a maisonette rented from the local authority”.

» Read More

Bbc

The service that provides social work in child custody cases in the East Midlands has been labelled "inadequate" by inspectors.

Children and Family Court Advisory Service (Cafcass) East Midlands was given the lowest rating by Ofsted.

The report highlighted problems with safeguarding children's interests and widespread concerns over inconsistent assessments and report keeping.

However, managers at Cafcass said children were never put at risk.

Ofsted found the organisation had "serious and significant" deficits in the way some of its case work was carried out.

'Poor accountability'

Cafcass provides a social work service to children and families who are involved in family court proceedings.

Michael Hart, Ofsted's children's director, said: "In some cases inspectors had to ask managers involved in the Cafcass service to take some immediate action to make sure children and young people were going to be kept safe.

"But overall we found a lack of consistency across the piece in terms of the front line services which were provided."

» Read More