This has been a hectic year so far, but we are looking forward, as we approach our 50th Year, to being in a much better place.
We may have been a victim of the closures of some bank accounts for - maybe - having unacceptable views. We simply do not know. We have complied with every request from our then Bank, HSBC. They still closed our account without explanation. Worryingly we were described in the press as a ‘Fathers’ Rights’ charity. It’s a sign of hostility when that happens. Friends and neutrals describe us a shared parenting or sex/gender equality charity. We describe ourselves one for children’s rights to both parents. The situation has been dealt with and no funds have been lost, but it has been tiresome and time consuming.
We have had two recent useful meetings to help prevent the problems most of us have at source.
A renewed and positive relationship with CAFCASS, the social work agency which prepares reports and recommendations to the family courts. We have been invited to their review of the ‘Child Impact Assessment Framework. ‘ They are making progress how they deal with domestic abuse in family proceedings, but there is still resistance to seeing contact denial as one aspect of it.
The second meeting was with Nichole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner and her team. This was in a useful alliance with Mankind, Dads Unlimited and the Paul Lavelle Foundation. Our stance was that the family courts sometimes inflicted as well as colluded with abuse being inflicted on partners and children. The Commissioner appeared to accept that this could happen. We look forward to their report. More next month after its launch, to which we have been invited.
Of course we look forward to Sam joining us and helping us go forward.
You are welcome to give your views at paul.ocallaghan.trustee@fnf.org.uk
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