Grandparents Apart UK Publishings

Letter for Councillors, MSPs MPs, Clients.

The previous Scottish Government created the ‘Charter for Grandchildren’ and the present government has now passed the responsibility for implementing it to local authorities.

Grandparents Apart UK, Anne McLaughlin MSP, Willie Coffey MSP, Kenny Gibson MSP and Bailie Iris Gibson Glasgow City councillor are heading this campaign to have the ‘Charter for Grandchildren’ made mandatory for professionals involved in the welfare of children. Our sincere request is for them to have your support for the best interests of our children.

The Charter for Grandchildren, which is for guidance only, was created by the Scottish Government along with Grandparents Apart UK and others, to accompany the Scottish Family Law Act (Scotland) 2006. This has not been as successful as everyone hoped and is largely being ignored by Social Services, courts, lawyers and professionals working in the welfare of children. This has arisen because of the attitude of Social Services towards grandparents when they dare to comment on how their grandchildren are treated. Social Service’s reaction is to cut them off as uncooperative and tell them they are irrelevant persons and don’t need to be kept informed.

Our request now is to have the Charter for Grandchildren made mandatory for professionals in order that children cannot be denied the love and protection that their grandparents can offer. Cross party MSPs, wide ranging family groups and representatives of various authorities support the Charter for Grandchildren, but without proper backing, guidance for best practice it is being ignored.

In the Charter for Grandchildren grandparents do not have any legal rights. It states that the role grandparents can play in children’s lives must be taken seriously, e.g. in early detection of abuse and offering stability and emotional security in crisis situations. It is the thousands of little things children get from their grandparents that comfort them the most, instead of being shunted to strangers and from pillar to post when family members are available.

The reason for our campaign is because grandparents are regarded in law as irrelevant persons in their grandchildren’s lives, and it can happen to you. You can be cut out of your grandchildren’s lives at a whim because of family problems, fall outs or bereavement. Being cut out of your grandchildren’s lives happens all too easily and our authorities too often hinder, rather than help support families. Evidence shows our children benefit from the support of their family members. They must be allowed that support.

In our personal case we regained contact and consider ourselves very fortunate but cannot forget the devastation we and our grandchildren went through. This is why we set up this group to offer support and guidance to others which was not available when we needed it.

Jimmy Deuchars
Grandparents Apart UK
22 Alness Crescent
Glasgow G52 1PJ
0141 882 5658
http://www.grandparentsapart.co.uk



The ‘Charter for Grandchildren’

It is important that parents, grandparents and other family members, speak to, and treat each other, with respect. You may not get on, but you can still be civil, for the sake of the children. Try to avoid arguing with or criticising family members in front of the children. It can be very upsetting for them.

On occasions professional organizations such as social work departments or the courts can become involved and may have to make decisions that will have a lasting impact throughout a child’s entire life. In these circumstances it is vital that the loving and supportive role that the wider family, in particular grandparents can play is utilised to the full

FAMILIES ARE IMPORTANT TO CHILDREN
(Grandchildren can expect)

• To be involved with and helped to understand decisions made about their lives.
• To be treated fairly
• To know and maintain contact with their family (except in very exceptional circumstances) and
other people who are important to them.
• To know that their grandparents still love them, even if they are not able to see them at
the present time.
• To know their family history.
• The adults in their lives to put their needs first and to protect them from disputes between
adults –
not to use them as weapons in quarrels between adults.
• Social workers , when making assessments about their lives, to take into account the
loving and supporting role grandparents can play in their lives.
• The Courts, when making decisions about their lives, to take into account the loving and
supporting role grandparents can play in their lives.
• Lawyers and other advisers to encourage relationship counselling or mediation when
adults seek advice on matters affecting them and their children.


Along with others, Grandparents Apart UK put a lot of hard work into The Charter for Grandchildren by demanding to be heard about the gaps in family law concerning their grandchildren. Why? Because we really do have the best interests of our grandchildren at heart, if it was not for our love for them why would we bother?

Grandparents Apart UK.
22 Alness Crescent, Glasgow G52 1PJ
A Scottish Registered Volunteer Charity No. SC 031558
http://www.grandparentsapart.co.uk





The Ten Commandments of Family Law.

(What we feel needs to change for our children’s best interest?)

1…Our motto is “Bringing Families Together” so we think the best interests of a
child starts with Equal parenting when there is no factually proven reason not
to.

2....The ‘Charter for Grandchildren’ to be Mandatory for Professionals working in
Children’s welfare and answerable in law.
3…Children are human beings. Stop treating them as Commodities like a
business deal. Cost only criteria and can ruin children’s lives
4.....If adopted, where appropriate, child contact maintained with birth family in
line with article 8 of the UN Convention on the rights of the child. (Should only
be stopped in the worst case scenario)
5 ...Kinship care before strangers to be the first choice.
6. ..All below accountable to law. (a)--..False accusations. (b)-..Erroneous reporting by
social workers. (c)…Flouting of court orders (d) Social Services Orchestrating “cover up’s”,
when children are failed
7…Proper recording of all social work meetings and discussions E.g. Dual tape
recording similar to police proceedings (to prevent and combat section 6 b+d)
8….More “transparency” and especially “accountability” for Social work and their
managers
9….Specialised training for social workers in the best interests of children. (Only
the most highly experienced social workers to deal in child protection)

10…. Accusations removed from record, when not proven.


Jimmy Deuchars
Grandparents Apart UK
22 Alness crescent
Glasgow G52 1PJ
0141 882 5658
http://www.grandparentsapart.co.uk








Grandparents Apart UK.
Petition.

Grandparents Apart UK request the petitions committee to urge the government to make ‘The Charter for Grandchildren’ mandatory for professionals who work in the welfare of children.
More info:- http://grandparentsapartuk.blogspot.com/ to see hard petition