Maypole Women E news

[Alison J Stevens]

Maypole Women E news

Find us on Facebook Follow on Twitter Forward to a Friend Proposed change to Children Act Maypole's response Maypole fully supports a child’s need to continue to have relationships with both parents, when those relationships are meaningful and safe. However, there are times when safety and contact conflict.  Following the Government's announcement to look in to changing the Children Act to include an emphasis on the importance of children maintaining relationships with both parents after separation, Maypole has written to the Working Party set up to consider the wording of such a change.  We wrote: 'We write to express grave concern that there is no body of research to support a need to amend The Children Act 1989 to emphasise ongoing relationships when parents separate, and a mass of evidence to show such legislation, creating a presumption of shared care, is harmful to women and children.' And: 'The proposed amendment does not address the predominant concern of mothers through the family court system, that is that there is a systematic failure to recognise domestic abuse and coercive control, and protect women and children.'  'The proposed amendment does not allow for sensitivity to the reasons why children may reject a parent after separation. Children who actively reject a parent - either the abusive or non abusive parent – usually do so in a context of high parental conflict and domestic abuse. Cutting off contact can be a response to alienation tactics, or a coping mechanism. ' We also highlighted several areas of inconsistency should such a change be introduced, including: Will a child’s right to contact be upheld from birth, and will uninvolved fathers be held to account?   Will children who have a parent who works away from home for substantial periods of time have the same rights as other children, or will parental needs be allowed to take precedence in some cases?   And will resident and non resident parents all be given equal opportunities to relocate to find work, or will a child’s right to contact effectively immobilise the workforce?  We now await the conclusions from the Working Party on whether a change to the Children Act is feasible. Maypole on the radio! Domestic abuse and how proposed changes could affect women and children   Listen out for Dream Corner talking about domestic violence, this Friday, 23rd March, 11am-1pm, on London’s independent radio station OnFM 101.4. Guest on the show is Maypole’s trustee Mavis Maclean. The programme will look at issues affecting women, including what is domestic abuse, why change the definition to include coercive control, legal aid and the proposed change to the Children Act to promote children’s relationships with both parents after separation and divorce. Dream Corner is a weekly radio show aiming to inspire women of all ages to follow their dream and passion, hosted by Viv Oyolu. If you don’t live in the London area you can listen to the show afterwards – watch out for the link on our blog. Making a World of Difference Congratulations to Jennie, another Maypole trustee, who is a winner in Vodaphone's World of Difference competition. We are especially delighted as this is the second year in succession that a representative from Maypole has won a placement. You can follow Jennie on her World of Difference blog. For women who have experienced abuse, and for mothers with children with anxiety, Jennie recommends the following books: Boundaries and Relationships: Knowing, Protecting and Enjoying the Self Stalking the Soul: Emotional Abuse and the Erosion of Identity The Emotionally Abusive Relationship: How to Stop Being Abused and How to Stop Abusing What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety All available on the Maypole bookshop, and a percentage of the sale goes to the charity, to help us support and speak up for women in family law. And thank you Vodaphone for our second World Of Difference placement. Last year the placement supported the launch of our fabulous new web site, with links to social media

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