[Solved] Family matters in parliament

Recent debate just 2 days ago on Family Justice Reform:

http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/bbb29ea5-c1b8-459c-bfc9-7eae77ecd32b?in=14:29:37

Thanks superprouddad 🙂

Suella Fernandez said that, in 2015, 4,654 enforcement orders were applied for because the resident parent (most typically the mother) failed to follow the courts directions and ONLY 1.2 percent of these were successful! 55 cases!

The only way that change is going to happen is if parliament actively makes changes to family law - as discussed in the debate, moving towards shared parenting, better enforcement of breaches of court orders. I strongly urge every single dad out there to contact their MP and get our point over - that legal aid is vital (not just from a financial perspective but to help nrp's to navigate the extremely complicated legal system), that the court system is unfair and that there is no justice, that the majority of non-resident parents are fathers - many of whom are suicidal, have already committed suicide, lose their homes, receive no benefits to help bear the cost of bringing up their children and often end up paying maintenance and dealing with the CSA and CMS systems that typically leave fathers struggling to survive while mothers are raking in money - often spending benefits and maintenance on whatever they please. We also need to fight for, as argued in the debate, transparency of the court system and the role of social services and cafcass in family cases.

According to Suella, England has a reputation of the divorce capital of the world!

Here is a list of current MP's... http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/

Thanks SuperProudDad - please keep posting these crucial links - we need to know what's happening so that we can try to do something to change things.

I agree that everyone with problems should lobby their MPs... however when you say many, how have you quantified that? I think it's important to stay rational and balanced in pursuit of the changes we would like to see within the family law system, it's imperative if we are to be taken seriously.

Yes there are problems but the system is working for the majority, as unfair as it can be sometimes. It is the minority that suffer in the way that you speak of, an important minority, but a minority nonetheless. It's unfortunate that we don't hear from those Dads that have made it work for them, it would add balance for those that are struggling, but it's a fact that those that have it sorted out rarely seek out forums such as this to air their happiness.

As Suella states she has been "inundated with stories from families from all over England and Wales who have endured our family justice system in the event of a divorce. Months, sometimes years have been spent caught up in a labyrinthine court system and bureaucracy where typically, but not always the father, with non-residence has had to fight to see his children at great emotional and financial expense. The sad truth is that many of those being failed by this system are good parents - they want to spend time with their children and be proper dads or mums". She further goes on to say "Men parents in this situation have lost their life savings, their home, and maybe worst of all their hope. What price is too much, for those that cannot afford it, the cost can be even worse - no contact, and no relationship with their children".

Andrew Bidson? says "The research I've done on the comparative death rates of resident and non-resident parents indicate that it's almost twice as likely for a non-resident parent to pass away while the children are small and I would indicate that normally means, and that's normally men, committing suicide because they no longer have contact with their children". Suella replies "It's a tragedy, it is a tragedy. Those cases are unspeakably sad and a reflection of the need for reform".

I cannot quantify the numbers - this is why I stated "many" - one of Suella's reform issues are transparency within the court system. The fact that she is inundated with stories, that (fathers) are twice as likely to commit suicide (which is what Andrew is pointing to) are a strong indicator that there is a very large problem that needs to be addressed by parliament. Of course suicide is not the only issue here - there are many things to consider.

Is it also possible that many fathers don't know about DadInfo or wish to contribute. I hope that it's not seen that I'm trying to over-exaggerate the situation or that my statements are irrational or unbalanced.

I agree Mojo, my statement is ambiguous and I apologise for that. With more transparency in the court system it would be possible to give more accurate figures.

No need for apologies Paul, as you know I'm completely behind Dads quest for a better system and fully aware of the pitfalls and injustices that exist.

As I actively work on behalf of our members, I must always advise caution and balance... the system is flawed but it's the only we have at the moment and it's important to keep positive and work within its confines, to get the best results we can.

Thanks Mojo - I know we're all on the same side 🙂

Just out of curiosity (I'm no expert in matters of Parliament), is there a way of knowing when family matters will be scheduled for more discussion in parliament? SuperProudDad, could you please share how you get the notifications?

Paul, you can create alerts for any topic being discussed in parliament at https://www.theyworkforyou.com/ .

While I agree that we need to be writting to our MPs, please take it easy, don’t go on a tirade. We go further building bridges rather than complaining about things being unfair ( and they are unfair ).

Don't worry I wouldn't do that. I'm as much for diplomacy and moderation as the next person. What search term did you put to be alerted about family court matters please?

Thank you.

I have multiple alerts, but “family proceedings” seems to give the most relevant results. I also have “family justice system” but that gives a lot of false positives.