A Child’s Right To Matter: New Report Launched In Parliament
Last week the Family Solutions Group launched a new report called ‘A Child’s Right to Matter’.
The event was hosted in Parliament by Edward Timpson CBE KC MP. Family separation is an area which touches many government departments, and the challenge identified within the report is how better to choreograph and improve the response within government across those departments.
Lord Bellamy also welcomed the report. He highlighted two of the report recommendations for special mention – the need for a trusted source of information, delivered in a modern and relevant way, and the recommendation for family hubs as a source of support services for separating families. He referred to the Pathfinder pilots and the promotion of mediation as examples of initiatives within the justice system to reduce adversity and promote better outcomes.
Romana and Sofia from the Plymouth Youth Parliament had some simple and direct messages:
“Divorce and separation is difficult for all the adults involved but is just as, if not more difficult for all the young people involved as well. In comparison, however, there is little support for the young people as there is for the adults, often leaving them feeling like an afterthought.”
“There are not nearly enough services available and what is available is not visible, which again makes young people feel that there is nothing there for them.”
Helen Adam spoke on behalf of the FSG Children’s Group. She said that family separation as a taboo subject, an unspoken issue which is avoided by all, including by Government. This falls between departments and children have nowhere to turn to and nobody to talk to. 74% of young people said they wouldn’t know where to turn for support, but where do they go? She highlighted the first of the report recommendations as being of critical importance: the need to allocate overall responsibility for the wellbeing of children in separated families to the Department for Education.
Meanwhile there are voluntary efforts being developed to address the void in provision. An important piece of work which OnlyMums & Dads are lining up for next year is an Education Project, to provide information and resources to schools, and for which they are currently fundraising.
We hugely support the efforts of the indefatigable Helen Adam to raise awareness of this issue and bring children front and centre of government policy when it comes to divorce and separation.
You can read more about the report here: A Child’s Right to Matter – Family Solutions Group
Author Name: Editor
Published content by The Divorce Surgery Editorial Team.
Related Posts
