Press Release.

Charlotte Leslie MP meeting some of The Bristol Grandparents Support Group.

(Photo names left to right, Ann ,Daphne ,Charlotte ,Ruth , Mary, Audrey and front row Marc and Jane Jackson.)

On Saturday Nov 13^th Charlotte Leslie MP was invited to meet some of the, ‘The Bristol Grandparents Support Group’ and to listen to the issues that face grandchildren and grandparents who are denied contact with each other.

Spokesperson, Jane Jackson for the group said,

“Over one million children in the UK are affected by being denied contact, the situation that they and grandparents find themselves in can be caused by any of these situations, separation/divorce of their parents/children, alcohol/drug dependency ,domestic violence, bereavement or family feud.

With The Family Justice Review being discussed at the moment with a report due in the Spring, it is vital that the government take this opportunity to address the heartbreaking position we and our grandchildren find themselves in. I believe that when a couple make the decision to split mediation should be a compulsory element and during that mediation legal agreements drawn up concerning contact with firstly non resident parents and then the grandparents and all extended family, if the agreement is not adhered to there must be consequences, at present there is very rarely any redress.

The children must also be involved in this process.

This has never been about Grandparents Rights but the rights of our grandchildren, they have the right to contact with their grandparents and extended family if it is safe for them to do so.

Of course there may well be situations when it is not safe for children to see their grandparents but equally there are some parents who should not have contact with their children , but in both cases that is a very small minority.

To have Charlotte Leslie championing the rights of our grandchildren is most definitely a very big step in the right direction.”