Grandparents Apart Wales Blog Llandudno Town Group

P-04-236 Charter for Grandchildren

27-Apr-2015

Dear Friends

I have sent my reply to the Petitions Committee of the National Assembly (Please email me for my reply).

Once I have had it replied to, I will send it to all my contacts including senior politicians.

I will never be satisfied in my quest for children's rights as it is ongoing but I admit that I am somewhat surprised that I am still asked to comment on the petition after 6 years of continued improvement in Family Law.

Our group will help children and be the catalyst for their happiness within the family and that is why it is crucial to keep our numbers up so that we are recognised as an organisation and not just a protest group

I hope to see you all tonight at the Quiz and you as part of the group have the ability to take the rights of children and those who care for them to a higher level and there can no higher reward than that.

Many thanks for your support

Frank

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QUIZ NIGHT 27-April-2015 at the Albert pub, Llandudno and News

26-Apr-2015

Dear Friends,

I see on facebook Graham has been united with his son and what a happy little boy he is spending time and being with his loving dad.

This should surely make us double our efforts to bring about the end of unnecessary alienation of children from their mums, dads and grandparents.

Well done Graham and our best wishes for the future.

Our congratulations to Ian who is breaking new ground and pushing out the boundaries in the family courts.

I expect we will get more from Ian as he gains more and more experience by representing us and his clients.

I have been asked by the Petitions Committee of the National Assembly of Wales for my response regarding my petition for a Charter for Grandchildren which I submitted in July 2009.

I wish now I had petitioned instead for a Charter for Children but it was mainly grandparents I was trying to help at that time.

Nevertheless I will continue with what I am doing and hopefully the group will expand and be an influence on others.

Now we have our Quiz Night tomorrow, 27-April at 9.00pm in the Albert Public House in Madoc Street Llandudno.

Please make an effort to be there because this is part of our social strategy to bond the group together and encourage others to join us.

Many thanks and I hope to see you there.

Frank

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10 years of engaging - Charter for Children

09-Feb-2015

Dear Friends,

On the 5th March 2015 I will have completed 10 years of engaging with senior Politian's and governments, both devolved and national for children to be heard and listened to.

The UK government is funding £2 million pound to finance a Special Social Service team with the purpose of preventing the horrific mutilation of children by FGM.

I have no word on what the Welsh Government are doing to support the prevention of such practices.

I take what is being advised on board but are the facts of children neglect not clear, that society has in too many instances let children down especially, by those whose specific responsibility it was to protect them.

We cannot be complacent as the abuse of children also happened here in North Wales and I have evidence of abuse of a child closer to home.

I petitioned the National Assembly of Wales in July 2009 to have a Charter for Children which would have set out rights for children under the Charter. Rights which children themselves wanted.

The Charter for Children was the subject of a Short Debate in the Senedd in November 2011 but the Welsh Government felt that Family Law and the Children's Act 1989 was adequate protection for children and there is some truth in that.

However we have history now coming to the fore of traumatic sexual and physical abuse of children which is an indictment and condemnation of governments and the many Children's Agencies involved sadly including the police.

The Government's action proves that the Children's Act 1989 and Family Law is not going to be sufficient or adequate to protect these young girls from FGM.

We in Conwy are protected by the law yet CCBC have a Corporate Plan 2012-2017 which contains 8 Citizen Outcomes for the benefit of those who reside in the county.

I argue children are also protected by the law but that they too should have a Charter with 13 statements giving them the best possible start in life realising their own potential.

Immigrants who wish to be part of our communities no doubt wish to be educated so that they understand our language, culture, religion and history and no doubt our laws.

When it comes to children a booklet with 13 pages is not too much for them to learn about the rights of children and it would reflect the voice of children and young people with what the feel they need.

I am pleased to say we have improved so much in 10 years regarding the protection of children and we are making vast strides forward in the Family Courts but I still support a Charter for Children.

Best wishes

Frank

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2015 Happy New Year - Charter for Grandchildren

01-Jan-2015

Dear Friends

A Happy New Year to you all and hopefully we can continue to make progress in our efforts to change society in the interest and welfare of children.

Society can only be changed by debate and the reflection of new ideas and we have been in a small way instrumental in putting forward such ideas for consideration.

Grandparents Apart Wales placed a petition for a Charter for Grandchildren before the National Assemble in July 2009 which was well received but not acted on although many changes came after in Family Law that were similar to its aims..

The Charter was discussed in a Short Debate in the National Assembly in November 2011 and we were grateful for the recognition and substance of that debate even although the then Minister Gwenda Thomas AM Deputy Minister for Social Services stated that we had adequate laws in place to deal with family situations.

Gwenda whose comments we have always respected may be have been right, and that was never a issue with us, but the amount of anguish parents and grandparents suffer continually, was and we have received four new cases this past week which proves that laws and children's agencies are not eradicating or addressing the situation of alienation, as they would no doubt wish, and this must affect the wellbeing of children caught up in hostilities or at least in situations that are detrimental to what they would wish for themselves,

The Charter for Children gave them a voice and the right to be heard and one wonders if they are, and then if they are who is listening.

We suggested a Child's Contract, which never got of the ground but we still have some support for such a contract, where a child's future is written and agreed on by the parents with no doubt the whole families support before the child is born, so that any eventuality in the child's life is covered.

Should the contract not be recognised by the courts it would at the very least be a guide to the court.

In short every thing that we have thought and would wish to change is for the sole benefit of the child who are the ones that suffer when they are alienated from the ones they love, mainly parents and grandparents.

I have been involved in promoting the interests and rights of children for ten years now (March) and enjoy the support of an extremely loyal group of volunteers and professionals in Llandudno which is developing and having success in the courts. This is extremely encouraging but we are impatient for the changes that are coming, and the need for them to come that little bit sooner.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2015.

Frank

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Children and what is going on

22-Nov-2014

Dear Friends,

I would be indebted to you to read the links enclosed for your information and if you are able to suggest a way forward there are many families that would be extremely grateful to you.

I have had a few emails this week from parents and grandparents denied access to their children for reasons of spite by the resident parent, or by application to the Family Courts by the Social Services to have their children adopted.

I cast no aspersions on any particular children�s agencies but Facebook has been full of allegations against the Social Services this week that it is clear that something truly radically is wrong as all these mothers and grandmothers cannot be complaining for the sake of it.

I have suggested to the people who have contacted me to contact their elected representatives but reported in a story in the link is the fact that Norman Lamb MP has been contacted without success although his comments are useful.

We have three Members of Parliament in contact with our group here in Llandudno which we welcome but we need all the families who have reason to complain about being alienated from their children and grandchildren to have a central point of registration so that the statistics can be collated and examined as to their legitimacy, establishing if, we have reason for real concern regarding children�s health and protection.

The Daily Mail has written many times about individual cases but I fear that has been only to increase their circulation and the question I ask is, why they don�t investigate the situation of children being separated from their families full on.

TV stations have also made enquiries and parents have written to children�s celebrities regarding their own circumstances but again only the sensational element is reported.

The Rt. Hon. Ed Balls MP (Guardian 19/01/2010), Nick Clegg MP (Daily Mail 17/06/2010) and David Willetts MP (Daily Mail 26/10/2009) have all stated that they acknowledge there is a problem and promised rights for grandparents, who are recognised as the main carers in the UK of children yet their treatment in many cases by the courts and Children�s Agencies is quite abominable.

Working practises in individual cases needs scrutiny as reports in many instances only outline policy, the recommendations of which, everyone would support with the exception of many of the public that have direct involvement.

Parents and grandparents need your help but more importantly our children do.

Best wishes

Frank.

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Law students

10-Jun-2014

Dear Friends,

I felt that the accompanying letter should be made public.

I have long advocated that law students should be involved at the sharp end and that this type of Social Justice be included in their academic studies, adding the value of life experiences to their degrees.

What better experience can a student have than to witness and meet the people who are alienated from their children and grandchildren and Zoe was such a student, with a brilliant future in front of her..

She was lucky to have had a work experience period with Ian Smith of Peter and Paul Associates. Liverpool who works closely with the Llandudno Branch of FNF-Both Parents Matter Cymru which held another very informative meeting last night,

Today at 6.00pm there is a meeting in the Senedd to which I was invited to but sadly I will not be attending, where the charity will meet with Assembly Members to try and find a way forward for the sake of the children involved.