Today's child access news

[sunshineandbooks]

Did anyone see the news today featuring the pledge by the coalition to ensure better access rights for non-resident parents?

While I have to say that by itself I think this would be a good thing, on the back of the CSA charges I think this is really biased.

The government are saying they want to stay out of people\s relationships and charging to use the CSA is a way of encouraging parents to sort things out between themselves. Why doesn't the same apply to access then?

What about the child's right to be financially supported? Well over half of parents who don't use the CSA receiving NO maintenance, and half of those who do use the CSA receiving only £5 a week or £0. That's only going to get worse.

I have no patience with parents who use their child as a pawn to punish the other parent and I accept that it goes on. However, what about all the NRPs who consistently mess about with contact, persistently letting the child down? Research (Dunne etc) suggests that this is extremely damaging yet it will not be included in 'the child's welfare' caveat that comes first in this proposed piece of legislation.

I can't help feeling that this is piece of social engineering far more than it is about the rights of the child. A way to transfer more rights to fathers and so weaken the position of single mothers (though where the genders are reversed in 8% of single parent families, male resident parents will suffer too) at the same time as increasing poverty of single parent families by denying them help to get the maintenance their chidlren deserve.

I'd have supported this if it had included ways to ensure child maintenance and penalties for parents who mess about with contact.

I tend to agree with you - I think that there has been very little thought given to the additional expense of a seperated couple both having to have accomodation suitable to house a child/children.

Would that there were legislation to ensure NRPs didn't disappear from the face of the earth and were actively involved in their childs lives. The media around this speaks of 'bitter, angry, women' keeping children away from their doting fathers and that they are being manipulative and evil - they don't 'want' a child to see their father, but if the father 'wants' to shag off and never see that child again, very little is said.

Having been a full time single dad for over a decade and a few years as a NRP, I have seen both sides of the coin.

What I will say is that whilst I agree with most of the current govt's economic policies, I disagree with their family policies. Most changes I've seen just reinforce my belief that they simply don't understand what the reality is that most of us face.

When relationships break down, understandably often it's bitter. Parents fight tooth and nail for what they believe is best for their child. Some fight to see more of their child. Other's will fight to keep a parent away whom they believe is bad for their child (for whatever reason).

If parents cannot decide between them then that is where the courts come in. And right now they have one criteria from which to base their judgements upon. And that is "What is in the best interests of the child?" If that's 50-50 then so be it. If it's alternate weekends or even no contact. So be it.

What the govt are now proposing is the starting point of 50-50. In theory that's great and who can argue with that eh? However......often it's not so black & white. My fear is that by adding an additional criteria, you are weakening the most important objective.

Court's will now have to make a judgement based upon what's right for the child and 'fair access' based on the principle that a father should have 50-50 also.

Often the practicalities get in the way. Even if parents live close, back when my ex had them 3 days a week, juggling homework, school clothes, letters, school trips was a constant nightmare. Once it settled into an alternate weekend routine I noticed my kids get more settled. With hindsight they were being passed around like parcels. Never stopping long enough to truly relax.

In short I don't like the current proposals at all.

I've read news reports in a couple of different papers, and I don't see that this is a proposal for 50-50 access as a starting point. The proposal seems to be that both parents will have an equal right to have access, but there is no mention at all that they should have the same right to equal amounts of time, even as a starting point. But perhaps this is mentioned somewhere else.

I don't understand why they are not sorting the law out so that NRPs have to maintain contact and do so in a responsible way. It is either important for children to see both parents or it isn't; the government seems to want to pick and choose rather doing things in the benefit of all children.