WHAT IS HAPPENING AT AIMS

[Alison J Stevens]

Congratulations on this. I hope we shall hear of the final outcome. Please keep us in touch.
Alas we seem to be receiving an increasing number of requests for
support from desperate mothers concerning not child protection but
separation and divorce cases, where judges are, despite good evidence,
awarding custody or extended unsupervised overnight visits, to fathers
where children do not want to go, infants are still breastfeeding,
fathers have been violent domestic abusers, there seems reasonable
grounds for suspecting child sexual abuse, and various other risk
factors. In one typical case, the mother has to comply and force a
terrified young child to to on overnight visits to Dad, because the
judge has firmly said if she does not comply, father will be given
custody - so she cooperates with the lesser of two evils. Of course
she dare not go to social services for fear of losing the child, who is
young enough to be adoption material, being taken from the family
altogether. This also happens in child protection cases with "kinship"
care.
At any one time the Chair and I have a list of cases where we watch
carefully what is going on, because we feel the child is at risk and we
could find ourselves offering to give evidence to a Coroner or in a
criminal court. At least we shall be able to make clear that the court
and CAFCASS officer knew about the risks they ignored.
Of course we know that there are cases where fathers are wrongly
denied custody, access, or are given inadequate access. We are in many
cases supporting Dads, grandfathers and family units. However, ases of
injustice to fathers are having enormous publicity. But what is
happening on the other side is not nearly as well known.
Jean
President, AIMS

Value-Aims.