For all Non-resident parents but especially Dads, this will come as a
welcome piece of news (I hope). I pray that the law changes to stop our
children being taken away.
From the Mail online:-
Ministers are drawing up new rules to put courts under a legal duty to
ensure divorced parents are guaranteed access to their children.
Parents who refuse to accept the orders will be in contempt of court and
risk serious penalties or even jail.
The move will delight
fathers’ rights campaigners who believe dads are penalised under the
present system which usually grants mothers
custody.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Tory work and
pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith have
apparently agreed a different approach which they hope will be more
successful.
Around 3.8million children - one in three - live
without their father.
Last night children’s minister Tim
Loughton said: ‘Our vision is to establish that, under normal
circumstances, a child will have a relationship with both his or her
parents, regardless of their relationship with each other.
'We
must do everything we can to improve the system so that it gives children
the best chance of growing up under the guidance of two loving parents.
New families: Nick Clegg believes the Coalition's efforts will
give more children the chance to grow up with two parents
'All the
evidence tells us that children genuinely benefit from a relationship with
both parents, with the potential to make different contributions to their
child’s development.
'The culture has shifted away from the
traditional view that mothers are primarily responsible for the care of
children. Increasingly society recognises the valuable and distinct role of
both parents.
'We are looking closely at all the options for
promoting shared parenting through possible legislative and non-legislative
means.'
Mr Loughton’s comments indicate that ministers have gone
against a key finding of November’s family justice review, which rejected
equal access for mothers and fathers, saying it would put too much pressure
on judges.
It is believed that the law could be changed by
amending the 1989 Children’s Act to include presumption of shared
parenting.
Another option would be for the Government to support
a backbench bill by Tory MP Charlie Elphicke, which will be debated later
this month.
The bill requires courts and councils which are
enforcing
contact orders
for children ‘to
operate under the presumption that the rights of a child include growing up
knowing and having access to and contact with both parents involved’.
Nadine O’Connor, campaign director for Fathers4Justice, said a
Government move would be a ‘massive step forward’.
'It is saying
that dads have as many rights as mums,' she said. 'I will believe it when I
see it, but the reform has to apply across the family justice system.'
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2082970/Divorced-pare
nts-risk-jail-stop-ex-partner-seeing-
children-new-law.html#ixzz1ij74KK4l 
Forum 
England and Wales 
