Bringing Families Together.

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 01, 2007 – Are you concerned as we that crime in society is getting worse? Why do you think this is? Would you be prepared to support us in a project to make things better? We believe that this trend is caused by a decline in family values. These are values that can only be passed on through the family as a whole. The present family law makes grandparents irrelevant persons in their grandchildren’s lives. The law makes it all too easy to ban grandparents at a whim from their grandchildren and gives no incentive to families to resolve disputes. At the end of the day it is the children who lose out on the magic that exists between them and their loving protecting grandparents. The role of grandparents is unique because of their love for their grandchildren. No other agency can detect child abuse earlier than grandparents. Early detection in this day and age of drugs, alcohol and child abuse is vital for the welfare of children.

Our group has been working for several years re-uniting families. Our motto is “Bringing Families Together” and to encourage families to work in the real best interests of the children is our goal.

We feel that there is a strong need for a Family Information Centre to educate parents/grandparents/extended family in the positive benefits that family support and experience can give and to know they can count on people who are willing to help. Lone parents could take advantage of this undemanding support and it could foster a basis of trust as incentive to patch up differences in the family. We want to reduce the harm it does to children when contact with loved ones is withdrawn, often deeply hurting other adults involved, but ultimately harming the child.

We also want to educate grandparents who unwittingly take too much control, how to take a back seat and leave it to the parents to do things their way, but to be there when required to help or advise.  We want to show them how to bite their tongue and step back, rather than overpower or criticise.

Often when a child is denied contact, particularly with a grandparent or parent, they will make contact themselves as an adult and rebel against the parent who denied them the contact as a child.  .

How are we qualified.

Our group, born out of personal family heartbreak, was started in 2000 in Glasgow. At that time there was no such help or advice for grandparents and families who were forced apart by disputes that could have been resolved by early intervention by putting the best interests of the children first.
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Based on our experience we have written a book called “Grandparents Speak Out for Vulnerable Children” http://www.grandparentsapart.co.uk The book has full guidelines for grandparents and parents and it has proven to work well in getting grandparents back into their grandchildren’s lives.

We have been working closely with MSPs, The Scottish Executive and various family orientated organisations. We have been instrumental in the creation of the Parenting Agreement which provides guidelines for parents splitting up aimed at making them more aware of the damage that can be done to children and also ‘The Charter for Grandchildren’ which highlights the vital role grandparents can play in their grandchildren’s lives to authorities and people who make decisions for and on behalf of children.  

These documents were created with our input via a stakeholders group organised by The Scottish Executive to accompany the Family Law Bill 2006. However very regrettably the Executive decided not to give it the force of law and therefore can easily be ignored by those who choose not to put the best interests of children first.  The Charter and the Parenting Agreement have had very little publicity. We believe it is important to make their presence and benefits more widely known.

Being in a family is the only situation that has no apprenticeship or training. Our aim is that with a little guidance the whole family, especially the children, will reap the benefits of maintaining contact with all family members.  The only exception of course would be where their safety would be put at risk by contact.

We have been promised our first  £500. donation and £500. from our funds giving us a starting amount of £1000. towards the project.

We ask you to donate to this very worthwhile cause and with your help we hope to have a Family Centre up and running soon.

Please donate Cheques to:-

G.A.S.H. Scotland (Centre fund)
22 Alness Crescent
Glasgow G52 1PJ
0141 882 5658

Yours sincerely
Margaret Deuchars (secretary)