AGM Report and Newslatter

Grandparents Apart UK
A.G.M. Report. Newsletter.

Dear Friends/members,

This year our AGM is on Tuesday 2nd June 2009 7pm 8.30pm at The Pearce Institute Govan Cross Govan Glasgow G51.

Our main concern today is, the membership is not being renewed and at the rate it is falling it will be a question of just how much we can do to further our cause. A lot of enquirers who have and still receive help and support do not pay membership fees. This is unfair and limits what we can do. If you want us to keep campaigning (See what we have achieved) you must contribute your fees. Because of this we had to increase the fee to £10.00p with our free book ‘Grandparents Speak out for Vulnerable Children’ for every membership renewed this year. As you will know we are all volunteer workers and don’t have the staff to cover everything. So we ask that you check your membership card and then please act accordingly

It cost a fortune to get 600 odd letters to our contacts (all we could afford in stamps) and 4000 in emails out for people to send in to their MSPs the request for them to raise the question in parliament for ‘The Charter for Grandchildren’ to be made mandatory.

The Mobile Information Centre we did with the Big Lottery grant is finished. Margaret and I did our best but with no real help we had to return around £3000.00p We covered as much of Scotland (The grant was only for Scotland) as we could and I think we done very well. The Charter for Grandchildren and Parenting Agreement is far more widely known now than ever it was.

‘The Charter for Grandchildren’ being made mandatory for all professionals of all UK countries who work in the welfare of children has become our war cry and we need to keep writing to our respective members of parliament to make it happen. There is no valid reason for not making it mandatory as a government created it (with our help) and not to do this is leaving gaps and is not in the best interests of children.

We have created a Petition (enclosed) for Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland said they work on the English one. Please help to get as many signatures as possible filled in and return it to us before the 6th July 2009 to Grandparents Apart UK 22 Alness Crescent Glasgow G52 1PJ. Also we need your story for evidence to present to the petitions committee to back our claims. We have a few but we need more. And it needs to be very quickly. We need to know how grandparents have been ignored by professionals regarding their grandchildren. If you phone us and tell us how it happened to you. It will be treated in the strictest confidence by us and the government.

The demonstrations in Glasgow and Dundee went really well in getting tremendous coverage from local TV, Radio and newspapers. One of our members is planning to hold a demo in Aberdeen. It would appear demos are the best way to bring our cause to the media’s notice. Nationally Jimmy and Margaret appeared on GMTV in London and their story has appeared in several papers of the national press. Jimmy done a 30 minute BBC interview with the well known. Radio Scotland Battle Lines Interviewer. Shareen Nanjiani

GRANDPARENTS APART INTERVIEW PART 1,2 ,3.http://www.youtube.com/v/o7YBPu3QurY http://www.youtube.com/v/UFkj5LJX8CE http://www.youtube.com/v/QqvpRdl6Q4s

I have enclosed a letter for you to send to your respective member of parliament for them to adopt ‘The Charter for Grandchildren’ as mandatory for professionals. Please send it to them if you have not done so already.

N.B. It is not us that gets the job done. It is you the constituent by your support and putting pressure on your Members of Parliaments.

Jimmy Deuchars (manager)
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/

Name Address Tel; Signature

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/TCFGRA/



‘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 respected and protected for the child…

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 counseling 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 of them why would we bother?

.............................................................................................................................................................

We are happy to promote the Charter for Grandchildren and the Parenting Agreement because they are in the best interests of children if they are used right.




letter to your member of Parliament.


Dear ……………………..,………………………

The Scottish Parliament or The House of Commons or Welsh Assembly GovernmentEdinburgh London. Cathays Park EH99 1SP SW1A 0AA Cardiff CF10 3NQ ...
I have contacted Grandparents Apart UK for support regarding losing contact with our grandchildren. With their nine years experiences and what has happened to me I feel justified in supporting this proposal and would be obliged if you would make it an issue in parliament. I believe A Government created this Charter and therefore they should ensure its effectiveness.

The Proposal:- We therefore propose that ‘The Charter for Grandchildren’ ‘ The role grandparent can play in their grandchildren’s lives’ be made Mandatory for Professionals dealing with children thereby ensuring in the absence of one or both parents that the love and protective role grandparents can play is not wasted as is the case at present because grandparents are regarded as irrelevant persons and therefore rarely considered in practice.…Being mandatory for professionals would not be an imposition on the parents or family in general…If the governments were to adopt this as an example it would send a message of encouragement to families that grandparents can be a huge asset in the family and it could be worthwhile attending mediation focusing on the best interests of the children.

Failure to implement this is criminal and neglect in providing all the possible protection for children in need and in many ways is actually encouraging child abuse I understand this statement will not be discussed or shown to anyone outside the theatre of government and will be completely confidential. I look forward to your reply.

Name…………………………………………..Address……………………………………….

Town…………………………………………..Post code…………………………………….

Phone number………………………………

E-mail…………………………………………(If you have one)

Signature……………………………………….


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


There is a huge rise in drug and alcohol abuse and there is reckoned to be a million children in Britain today living in a home with one or both parents addicted to drugs or alcohol and fear of the ever increasing cases of child abuse from different partners in a child’s life

Our new proposal is considering the child in as much as not to have the protection of their
Grandparents in child abuse cases are criminal neglect by the authorities and not in their best interests. Every means of protection should be used. It is generally agreed by governments and most organisations dealing with children that grandparents are important in the family.. It is also agreed that they can be vital in the early detection of child abuse and in the care and stability of children when they are in a crisis situation especially in the middle of the night. That is if they are informed about it at all being irrelevant persons. If the crisis has been violent and very upsetting it would be in the best interests of the children to be settled as quickly as possible with someone who cares for them. What we find overall that 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....‘Charter for Grandchildren’ to be Mandatory for Professionals working in Children’s welfare.

3…Children are human beings. Stop treating them as commodities like a business deal

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 Service 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 2009
What we and you have achieved.

We have had a great write up in the Daily Mail, the same week we appeared on GMTV full VIP treatment. Also a radio interview on Radio 2 with Jeremy Vine. Now we are doing a Christmas show with The Sunny Govan Community Radio 103.5 FM which is fun.

Previously we have had a documentary made about us by Grampian TV and The Scottish Politics Show been on BBC radio Newcastle Radio Scotland, STV and BBC news bulletins. We must try and keep this publicity going if you want the law changed.

Please ask at your Scottish Libraries, Social works, community centres, doctor’s surgeries if they have ‘The Charter for Grandchildren’ or ‘The parenting Agreement’ in fact anywhere concerning families the more we ask the more popular they will get.

In our relatively short period of existence, because we have lobbied Westminster and the Scottish Parliament and produced constant press releases through television and radio and of course with your membership and donations we have -

1. Dispelled the myth that grandparents have a right of contact with their grandchildren. Now that the problem has been identified and accepted we have attempted to raise the profile of grandparents all over the UK and show the benefits and protection they can offer grandchildren.

2. Provided a helpline service for grandparents that was not available before in Scotland. And is proving to be very successful in England too. We are very proud of our helpline‘A listening ear’ for devastated grandparents, which we know has comforted some grannies that were suicidal

3. Worked in a Stakeholder Group with the Scottish Government as a result the ‘Charter for Grandchildren’ and the ‘Parenting Agreement’ were created to help families and children in particular.

4. Shown that ‘Bridge building’ is our speciality. The more grandparents that is aware of our existence the more we can fulfil our motto of ‘Bringing Families Together’

5. Became tired waiting for further improvements, we decided to take the matter into our
own hands and proposed to open an independent Family Information and Education Centre so we asked for a £½ million Big Lottery Grant but were knocked back, instead we were awarded £10, 000,00p to develop our idea as a Mobile Family Information and Education Centre and toured Scotland promoting the Charter for Grandchildren and The Parenting Agreement. See;- http://www.grandparentsapart.co.uk/

6. highlighted the unfairness of our legal aid system and it has now been announced that new proposals from the legal aid board and the Scottish Government are to change the way solicitors are to be paid for legal aid work.

7. Risen from being seen as a complainer to the Government to being a respected source of information to allow them to gather information about families, being invited to meetings and our opinions sought.

8. Recently we have got Children 1st (NSPCC) agreeing with us on 3 points.

a) They are urging the government to give grandparents the right of information on their grandchildren's welfare.

b) That the Charter for Grandchildren and Parenting Agreement must be publicised more.

c) Family Information Centres should be available throughout the country. And for children's protection in drug and alcohol homes.

9. Adam Ingram MSP Minister for Children invited us to a meeting in June to hear our views on kinship care as we have been campaigning hard for this. On 4th December 2007 the Scottish Government announced they would be paying the granny grant of £119 to £199 to kinship granny carers. Details from our website http://www.grandparentsapart.co.uk/

10. This year 2008 our group has been invited once more to work with the Scottish Government on 'Making Contact Work'. Our first meeting was very encouraging and we did get across that the administration of family law have become blasé in the best interests of the child and need to be tightened up and monitored.

11. Due to a demo we arranged at the Scottish Parliament in February this year. Last month September 2008 Nigel Don MSP with the backing of 22 other MSPs arranged a debate in the Scottish Parliament on injustices in family law. The Scottish Justice Minister accepted that there are injustices. A huge step in the right direction. Our policy is to ask everyone who contacts us to also contact their MSP and keep on at them as it is you the constituent contacting them that changes will be made. - --

12. Scottish Woman's Aid:-
(Quote)"! totally agree that grandparents are often best placed to detect any kind of abuse or addiction that harms children and are often left picking up the pieces with no support when things fall apart. I think resolving that bit should be a priority (i.e. offering financial and emotional support) and then perhaps there's scope to move on to greater recognition of the role grandparents play and how this could be established in law".

13, Demonstration.
Our group organised a demonstration on 4th March 2009 in George Square, Glasgow City Centre Which attracted very good media attention from The Daily Mail, Sunday Express, Sunday Herald, Scottish GMTV, The Scotsman, Sunny Govan Radio Station, STV news, A BBC ½ hour program. due to be broadcasted on Radio Scotland Battle lines at 11.30, 27th March 2009. This demo was calling for ‘The Charter for Grandparents’ to be made mandatory for professionals that work with the welfare of children and family to ensure children can have the best that grandparents can offer without treading on the toes of parents. To ignore this call is not in the best interests of children

14 Our campaign on 25th march 2009 in Dundee went very well. We were right outside the room where the directors were having registration and their morning coffee breaks and they could not help but see us as we for. waved to them. Someone heard them debating us being there so we have achieved what we came

Alan Baird the boss man in question has refused to resign over the Branden Muir case in Dundee and would not answer our phone calls to his office. His secretary refused to give us any information as to his whereabouts and even refused to speak to the media.

The media coverage was Brilliant, GMTV, STV, Radio Times, The Telegraph, The Courier and a few radio and newspaper reporters which i can't remember them all but will be posted on the blog above as they become available. We can't thank them all enough for their coverage and kindness.