Hope For Estranged Grandparents

Smileless -- "I didn't say that any parent who denies their children their GP's is a bad parent. I said any parent who does so for reasons of their own, that have nothing to do with their child's welfare is a bad parent."

And again, WHO gets to decide that? Our families would claim that our reasons are 'personal and selfish' and not based on what is best for Our children. We feel the opposite.

My interpretation is what it is.

Nope.

Well that puts that scare tactic to bed. Thanks Bibbity

I thought w child arrangement order is to allow someone (family, maybe also friend?) to bring up someone else's child.

MissA think it covers a few things, who they are to live with, who they spend time with, when and where etc

Ah, yes.
Probably so, thinking about it.

Thanks for that Bibbity as it says "generally the police wont get involved" so it's not a given that they wont which must have been in the case that Nonnie mentioned.

I don't know about there being a scare tactic, it would appear that there are situations where the police will get involved but it's not general practice.

If o parent has gone to prison for withholding contact with a grandparent, it's just not true.

Who said it was true Starblaze? Parents don't go to prison for withholding contact from the other parent.

OK Smileless

I’ve actually never personally heard of any consequences for breaking a CAO. And that’s including between two biological parents.

There have been a couple of examples of family court judges sending people to prison for deliberately ignoring their orders. Although it doesn’t happen very often, as judges prefer to find another way to deal with matters where possible, family judges can and do send people to prison for breaching their orders – this is not a criminal conviction, but all civil (non-criminal) courts have a power to enforce their orders by committing the person who has broken it to prison. The family court is no different.

Source www.transparencyproject.org.uk

The phrase ‘All My Eye and Betty Martin’ comes to mind.

Only as NONNIE, SMILELESS, AND MISS A, realise it’s far more serious than that.

Some of the reasoning on this subject is So unreasonable and damaging ...yes damaging ...to a generation of children that deserve much better.

Love will always win over hate. That’s why some grandparents will persevere. To their detriment at times? yes.

But the emotional well being of the grandchild is paramount and that is enough to keep plodding on.

The Court’s Powers to Enforce a Contact Order
If a court is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that there has been a breach of a contact order, and that there is no reasonable excuse for the breach, they may make an enforcement order. An enforcement order requires the party in breach to carry out between 40 and 200 hours of unpaid work, which will be monitored by the probation service. If breach of the contact order has led to financial loss – for example a cancelled holiday - an application may also be made to the court for financial compensation.
An application for an enforcement order, or for financial compensation, is made using form C79, which may also be downloaded from the HMCS website. The application may be made to the court which made the contact order or to any court which has the power to deal with family cases.

The court also has the power to find that an individual is in contempt of court for failing to comply with a contact order. If a party persistently breaches a contact order they may be held to be in contempt of court and could be committed to prison or fined.

It would be advisable to seek legal advice about your situation before making an application. The Citizens Advice Bureau should be able to provide free legal advice about the steps to take following breach of a contact order.

Source: www.courtroomadvice.co.uk

Thanks Chewbacca.

Granniesunite -- Any concern about the mental/emotional well-being of the parent(s)?

"Some of the reasoning on this subject is So unreasonable and damaging ...yes damaging ...to a generation of children that deserve much better."

Grand-parents that don't care about the impact on their children of how a court case would hurt them are showing the very reason they are likely cut off. They didn't care about their children when they were raising them and they still don't care about how their actions hurt/damage them now.

My generation did deserve better and many of Us didn't get it, so the only thing we can do is not pass on the dysfunction. But if 'winning', even to your detriment is "good for the grand-children" in your opinion? Fine.

Just don't pretend that GP's rights are mostly about what's "best for the grand-children" when it often isn't.

Often it is, though.

Yes. They can. But Realistically they don’t.
They don’t do it for parents. They would never do it for GPs.
As I said. I’ve known people to keep quiet and just move. You can’t stop them. It’s for the good of the family, jobs, opportunities etc. The parents aren’t then expected to travel. So there’s no enforcement.

Thanks for those posts Chewbacca; very informative; there's so much we don't know isn't there.

And don't pretend HolyHannah that P's rights are mostly about what's best for their children when that isn't always the case.

Some of the reasoning on this subject is So unreasonable...yes damaging...to a generation of children that deserve much better Granniesunite well said.

Perhaps HOLY HANNAH If you’d had grandparents or some others who had your best interests at heart and had intervened to help you in your distress you’d view things differently??

Don’t get me wrong holy Hannah abuse of power is so wrong and being on the wrong side of that leaves you a changed person. But I also think to see injustice and abuse of power and do nothing is wrong too.

For something to be damaging to a generation of kids means that that something is essential as oxygen, water, housing and education.

GPs are not that essential.
Kids can have a happy childhood and life without grandparents.

Love and security are essential to children Hithere. GP's may not be as essential as oxygen, water, housing and education, but what price can we put on love?

I'm sure you're right and children have happy childhoods and lives without their GP's. I certainly hope so as ours will, in all probability never know us or us them.

That said they never knew us so thankfully have not experienced what some GC do. No longer being able to see the GP's they know and love and left wondering why, and perhaps asking themselves if it's their fault, if they did something wrong or if their GP's just don't love them anymore.

And the greatest of these is Love.

Spot on smileless.

Yes, the greatest of these is love.