Give children the legal right to see their grandparents
Currently more than 1 million children in the UK are denied contact with their grandparents.
Let's campaign together to give children their right to see their grandparents as long as it is safe to do so.
Jackie Sheridan
shared this idea
19 comments
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Anonymous
commented
Thanks to you too Jackie
Look how many votes there were to Save our Forests, aren't children even more important?! How do we get more votes....?!
Janette
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Thank you Janette for encouraging me in keeping this going. There are relatively so few people signing and forwarding when so so many have lost or have little contact with their children and grandchildren. Brushing this under the carpet will not make it go away.
Jackie
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Anonymous
commented
I've also put it on my facebook asking people to vote....
Janette
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Anonymous
commented
Hi
I'm emailing this link to everyone I know, the votes have gone up today to 191, we must keep it going.
Janette
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Anonymous
commented
it is time someone listened to the children, really listened.many profess to listen but they are so engrossed in their own self importance they become selectively mute.
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patrice Yerlikaya
commented
What a worhy cause .Well done Jackie xxxx
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Money4Monopoly
commented
mmmm....Jackie I think that your proposal for this campaign may be flawed although I do not doubt your good intentions. See the provisions of the Childrens Act and also case law on Grand Parents (maternal and paternal) rights to Contact (visit) and Residence Orders as well as being party to and being able to bring proceedings in their own right. See also the Family Law Act.
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Anonymous
commented
I don't quite know why you would want to do this. It is my understanding the government's past and present in the developed countries are striving very hard to break down the family unit. If that is the case why would you want to act against the wishes of the state?
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colyn weaver
commented
It's incredibly sad to think that many children are denied the right to see their grandparents, as long as its safe to do so. A relationship with a loving grandparent is very special and plays a very important part in a childs world.
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When adults fall out, (often for trivial reasons that can escalate), parents sometimes no longer allow their children to see their grandparents.
As the law now stands it supposes that estranged blood grandparents do not have the right to ask to see their grandchildren unless they first ask permission to go to court.
This automatically puts us on a weak footing even when leave is granted and wastes time.
Not having the right to appeal gives grandparents less value and status than a murderer.It is a very emotional and psychologically draining process to endure.
Many grandparents report that they feel ambivolent about taking their children to court.
Grandparents in this situation should be allocated an advocat to help them put their case across in court.
The process is extremely lengthy and expensive which is devastating and causes distress and loss to the child who is not allowed to see his/her grandparents.
The precious years lost for children and grandparents apart can never be regained. The process should be much shorter.
All of the above is only relevant as long as it is safe for the child to see the grandparent.
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Anonymous
commented
Grandparents can offer so much and their grandchildren and it children should have the right to have contact with them.
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Anonymous
commented
In our 11 years of experience grandparents do not want to be a source of conflict regarding rights to their grandchildren. Their only conern is they are happy and well looked after and to be kept in reasonable contact.
The Charter for Grandchildren was created by us and a Scottish Government for such an instance. It gives the rights to the child/ren to have grandparents in their lives or an explanation why not. The Charter is parent friendly as it does not give grandparents any rights over parents or allow them to interfere with a child's upbringing.
Jimmy Deuchars
Grandparents Apart UK -
Bernadette
commented
children are missing out if they do not know their grandparents. Bernadette
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Anonymous
commented
I agree that grandparents should have the right to see their grandchildren, other wise it is really cruel.
Sandra Eros
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janet hearn
commented
children should have the right to know their families especially gandparents, who usually have the time to give100% attention to their grand children and therefore create a special bond and a safe place for childhood emotions.
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Olivia Vega-Vega
commented
Personally, I would not feel it is a good idea (or safe) for my children to be left alone with their grand parents and that there can be more potential for harm than good in any interaction with them. I decided not to have children myself for fear of doing to them some of the harm done to me by my own father, his mother or the neglect/lack of protection I experienced by the family of my mother from the age of 4 when she died.
However I do realise from my clinical practice that there are an awful lot of parents/carers doing a terrific job under very difficult circumstances (and perhaps too much interference and little support from the outside world) and I feel that any campaign that may make their job more stressful is doing them and their children a diservice. Ultimately it was up to the parents to bring children into the world. They are undertaking a hugh responsibility that some of us feel unable to take and my hat goes to them. I also find that, in most cases, they are the ones that love and care for their children most and thus together with their children, the most indicated people to negotiate this. No parent/carer in their right mind would take away an interaction that can be nurturing for their loved children but very often access to children is used to manipulate or undermine individuals and their relationship with children. The wellbeing of the children (and parents) has to be paramount. Children are very vulnerable and they need the protection and love of their parents/carers. If contact with somebody outside the nuclear family is going to affect adversely the dynamic of the family and/or wellbeing of the children (even indirectly and perhaps in hard to understand/unjustified ways), one has to be practical and evaluate the effects of dictating how parents and their children interact with non-essential subjects outside the nuclear family -please notice that by nuclear family I refer to carer(s) and child(ren) as I was rised by my granny & my life would have been much better if my own father was never allowed access to me.
If the denial is due to countries boundaries or political reasons, I question the moral grounds that give any government the right to decide over people's movements in this planet or attempt to restrict people's right to move about freely in an attempt to satisfy their more basic needs such as food, selter, security and meaningful contact with others.
Besides the biological link, I am of the believe that been a parent, grand-parent or, in deed a daughter/son. is a relationship in which, like in any relationship, one has to work on, not a privilege.. only that in its initial stages, some of the players (i.e. babies) are in no position to give consent to their participation... -
Linda Quint
commented
My friend is being deprived of seeing her grandchildren - please help her!
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Iga Debinska
commented
All children have the right to be given the chance to love those who truly care and love them...
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Children shouldn't lose this very special relationship because of grown-up disagreements.
