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Updated in June 2015, The Charter covers five key principles:
• No child should be denied a full and loving relationship with both their parents unless it has been proven that such a relationship presents a risk to the child;
• The family justice system should promote collaboration and shared parenting between parents following separation;
• Family courts need to respond swiftly to breaches of Child Arrangement Orders, to ensure that relationships between children and the parent they do not live with day-to-day are not compromised;
• Information and support services should be easily accessible for separated parents throughout the different pathways of the family justice system;
• The important contribution of fathers, mothers, grandparents and the wider family should be promoted wherever possible, in both family policy and wider society.
We have developed more detailed points to pursue these, which form the basis of much of our work on these principles. They are outlined in our 'Families Need Fathers Charter 2015' document, which can be downloaded below:
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There are many ways that you can participate in FNF activities. In fact, one of the greatest things that FNF can offer you in addition to support is the sense of actively doing something to improve the situation for you and your children.
FNF's best resource are its members and volunteers and the joint experience and support that individuals get from each other. Your experiences could help others too.
You can simply choose to join and become a member - or you can apply to be a volunteer to learn more and help others. You can also donate to FNF of course if you wish.
Membership is open to anyone who needs help and support over separation and access to their children as well as those who have an interest in the work of Families Need Fathers. Our members include fathers, mothers, resident and non-resident parents, grandparents, new partners and friends as well as supporters of our cause.
There are many advantages to becoming a member including access to additional areas and useful publications on this website as well as our Forum where members can communicate and ask questions free of charge to participating lawyers as well as other volunteers. We will also keep you updated with the latest developments in the field.
FNF is a charity committed to proving reliable help and support; available at Local Branch Meetings, on the Helpline and via the main areas of the website. The Forum is also an excellent source of advice from lawyers, McKenzie Friends and other contributors like yourself who have travelled down this often very difficult and painful road. In order to fund the help that we provide we positively encourage you to join. The small membership fee that we ask for is the only way to ensure the charity's future.
Sign up for membership now!
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Volunteers are the life blood of FNF and anything that you can do, big or small is appreciated.
There are many ways that you can participate in FNF activities. In fact, one of the greatest things that FNF can offer you is the sense of actively doing something to improve the situation for you and your children.
FNF's best resource is its 3000 members and the joint experience and support individuals get from each other. Your experiences could help others too.
Please become a member of FNF to receive advice and support, and help make a difference!
We provide up to 100,000 services a year, which are mostly provided through the selfless work of our FNF volunteers. We are reliant on membership subscriptions and donations to fund this core part of our work which includes campaigning.
Add your support to the charity, and you will be joining a group of people determined to make sure that the voice of separated parents and their children is heard.
Would you like to support the ideals and aspirations of FNF with out needing to become a Member? Become a Friend of FNF.
Raise money for FNF or your local branch.
Join your local branch, exchange support and information and join in local campaigns.
There are many ways you can help others and make a difference.
Give us your feedback or make a contribution to the members' newsletter.
To find out more about how FNF can help you, request an information pack.
FNF's special project celebrating the time children spend with their dads - submit your photos now!
Leave a legacy to FNF in your will.
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This page is being set up to carry the many testimonials we receive from people we have helped over the years.
Although some aspects of the shared parenting responsibilities of both fathers and mothers are increasingly being recognised, it is still the sad reality that so many people learn only too late that the Family Justice system does not always deliver good outcomes in the more conflicted cases. Whilst it can be hard to counter the effects of anger and vindictiveness in separation cases, that is no excuse for the costly and often ineffective and unfair (to children) outcomes delivered to children of separating parents by the family justice system.
We do our best to on the one hand highlight the obstacles in the road ahead as well as encouraging and assisting the state in improving the social performance of the family court and the agencies which support it. We hope that one day everyone will feel that the only decent thing to do for the children after divorce or separation is to allow them to continue to enjoy - yes actually enjoy - the benefits of having two parents. To lose two parents is a tragedy - to lose one can be a nightmare.
If you have received help or guidance from FNF - whether via the Helpline, the Forum, our branches or this website - or even all of the above - we'd love to hear from you. Tell us how to improve our services or - if you liked them, tell us why and we may print them below.
Hello FNF, I just wanted to say thank you for your support during a very difficult time these past 10 years. I have read many articles and the information on PAS has been spot on. My daughter stopped talking to me approx a year after my divorce at the age of 9. I did not see or hear from her for almost 9 years. I am pleased to say just before her 18th birthday last November I was asked to help out by her mother as our daughter was in a bad way-a first I might add.. We have got a long way to go but she lives with me now and we are slowly working through our issues. Thank you all for the fine work you do. I always mention you when I see other loving fathers in despair. I wish every father the strength to never give up. I didn't and it nearly killed me but I am now on a healthy happier path. With my daughter by my side. Keep strong brothers.
JP - September 2016
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Families Need Fathers provides you with the latest news and events to help you stay involved with your children after a separation.
Choose from the following topics:
Families Need Fathers offers a range of training courses for members and non-members on a range of issues around separation and parenting - courses are added on a rolling basis, so be sure to check back regularly!.
Sign up to our E-Newsletter to receive regular updates on all things FNF.
Information for journalists and researchers.
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We have various types of publications and resources available.
Factsheets are only available to members.
Books are available from Amazon.
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For anyone going through personal and family difficulties, it is important to have an understanding of what rights the child, parents, and other family members have, what are the procedures involved when a case goes to court, how does one apply for a court order in the first place, what other useful bodies/agencies can one turn to for help, and so on.
With the right information the process can become a lot less daunting.
Have you found these pages helpful and/or would you like more information? Consider becoming a member of FNF to download our Factsheets for free. These include further information on the Children Act 1989, representing yourself in court, mediation and much more. Please go to the Publications menu above and select Factsheets and Guides to see our list of available Factsheets; If you are a member and are logged in you will be able to download them there immediately.
If you would like further information on the many benefits of becoming a member of FNF, please click here.
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If you are separating or divorced and are worried about not seeing your children - or worried about the effect the breakdown of your relationship might have on them, Families Need Fathers can provide you with the support and information you need.
Our services are open to mothers, fathers, grandparents, new partners and extended families. We are an organisation dedicated to helping parents and their families continue to provide the love, care and support that their children need after separation - and are there to support parents and families in doing this - especially if you are having problems in coming to an agreement on your own.
An informative starting point is our Read Me First section.
•National Telephone Helpline - available from 9am - 10pm Monday to Friday, 10am - 3pm at weekends on 0300 0300 363.
•Local Branch Meetings - where you can get face-to-face help, surrport and advice, discuss your situation with others in similar circumstances and join like-minded individuals in supporting each other
•Expert Emotional Support - FNF is pleased to announce that Divorce Support Group is now offering expert emotional support in your locality. They offer individual, telephone or group counselling.
Members can also benefit from:
•Free downloadable Factsheets & Guides (available to non-members for a small price), including information on dealing with CAFCASS, making financial arrangments and representing yourself in court.
•Online Forum - connect with other people going through similar situations.
•Much more! Please click here for more information on membership benefits.
There are a number of other organisations that may also provide you with the information, services and help you need. Click here for links to other help and support.
We would strongly recommend making use of Cafcass' guide for separating parents, parenting plans, which can be downloaded here.
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Families Need Fathers seeks to obtain, for the children, the best possible blend of both parents in the lives of children; enough for the children to realise that both parents are fully involved in their lives. Legally, parents should be of equal status.
Responsibilities and obligations, caring and financial, should be fairly shared between the parents.
Families Need Fathers is firstly a social care organisation, helping parents whose children's relationship with them is under threat. We offer information, advice and support services for parents on how to do the best for their children. We are the only organisation that provides these services on a national basis.
Our support services win widespread praise, from, for instance, Dame Elisabeth Butler-Sloss, former President of the Family Division of the High Court and Deidre Sanders, trustee of the National Family and Parenting Institute and Britain's most respected Agony Aunt. We also pleased and proud to have The Rt Hon David Blunkett, Dr Hamish Cameron and Nigel Planer as our patrons.
Families Need Fathers also lobbies in a professional and highly effective way for changed legal and social attitudes. We have regular contact with politicians, the judiciary and the media. Our immediate priorities are getting courts orders for shared residence, improvements in the time children are allowed to spend with their 'second parent', more effective action taken when one parent defies a court order requiring them to allow their children a relationship with the other parent, and replacing adversarial court hearings over children-matters with child-centred discussion.
FNF depends on subscriptions and donations for a substantial amount of its work. Membership costs less than the price of one letter from a solicitor - a modest price for access to our additional services and support for our work.
Click here to download and/or print one of our general information leaflets - ideal if you'd like to help someone without internet access learn about our work
Registered charity number: 276899
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FNF is a charity chiefly concerned with the problems of maintaining a child's relationship with both parents during and after family breakdown. We offer information, advice and support services for parents who could otherwise spend thousands of pounds without achieving a positive outcome for the children. Our network of over 50 UK branches offers the pro-bono advice of solicitors and others familiar with the family courts; a dedicated helpline; this website and resources for members that will help you to have a relationship with your children.
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Description:
Parental Alienation is one of the most difficult issues that a separated parent can deal with. Many children of separated parents will, at one time or another, struggle with relationships, finding transitions between parents difficult. But is it alienation, and what does Parental Alienation really mean?
This workshop will deal with the spectrum of children's reactions, from the mild to the most severe and will help participants to identify what is happening in their own relationships as well as how to prevent, manage and reverse an alienation reaction.
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