Father's Day Manifesto
The Manifesto and progress on it.
1) No child shall be denied a full and proper relationship with both of its parents unless it has been shown that such a relationship presents a risk to the child.
The Lord Chancellor for the Government, and the Conservative Party have acknowledged the problem, but the attempt to change the Law to promote this was defeated.
2) Gender discrimination in social attitudes towards parenting, in policy in relation to the family and the family ‘justice’ system should end.
Social attitudes are changing, albeit slowly, but with negligible support from public policy. Children can expect their relationship with their non-residential parent to be cut by two thirds or more in the event of their parents separating, and this is terribly wrong.
3) The 'winner takes all' nature of legal proceedings about children should end. The objective should become the best blend of both parents. Both parents should be given Residence Orders. Demeaning ‘Contact Orders’ should be replaced by ‘Parenting Time Orders’ given to both parents.
Only very slight change here. No bold action to bring this about.
4) Breach of a court order to allow a child a relationship with both parents should become legally and socially unacceptable.
We welcome the Children and Adoption Bill which could result in changes here, but its possible impact was dramatically undermined by the statement of the President of the Family Division of the High Court saying he did not think judges would use the new sanctions for such breaches.
5) Fathers' involvement with their children is increasing rapidly. This should be welcomed and encouraged until it equals the care provided by mothers.
The Equal Opportunity Commission's research has shown that fathers now provide nearly one third of parental childcare in intact families. This is still a 20% shortfall in our view, but change is rapid. There has been a spontaneous change in social behaviour, but support from public policy has been lacking.
6) No child shall be put in day care or looked after by others if parental care is available.
No progress. The Childcare strategy, a very expensive programme to provide institutionalised daycare for children whose mothers are in paid employment, continues to ignore the possibility that they could be looked after better and more cheaply by their 'other parent'.
7) Legal aid should cease to be available to fuel conflict between parents. Public funding should be available only to seek child centred and non-adversarial solutions to differences between parents.
There have been modest improvements in public finance for mediation services, but the state still funds many parents to seek the exclusion of the other from the children's lives by rubbishing their parenting, character and conduct.
8 )‘Family friendly’ entitlements should be available to both parents equally.
Again slow changes in social attitudes are largely without official backing.
9) Public money to support parenting - Child Benefit, Family Tax credits and the like - should be shared between carers according to the care and costs that fall on each. Child Support Agency calculations should be changed to reflect these costs fairly.
The failure of the CSA has finally been properly recognised. It is possible that a replacement service may be based on fairer principles, but there has been no material action on other benefits.
10) Allegations of violence and abuse should be investigated even-handedly with a thoroughness and speed that reflects their seriousness and urgency. Action should be taken against false or malicious allegations.
No action has been taken on these points. The making of false allegations is still an easy route to prevent a child seeing their 'other parent'.
11) Parental Alienation should be recognised and dealt with.
No progress
12) Funding should cease to agencies that promote gender stereotypes.
No progress
13) Parenting should be given more social respect. The decline in the amount of time children spend with a parent - the cause of many of our social problems - should be reversed with priority going to making the contributions of the parents equal.
No progress
14) The importance of grandparents needs recognition. They should have the right to apply directly for court orders for the children to have time with them.
No progress
15) The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child should be incorporated into British domestic law.
No progress
16) The clause 'equality between spouses' in the European Convention on Human Rights should be ratified by the UK and included in the Human Rights Act.
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