Access rights for grandparents backed by Dame Esther
Protect a special relationship
THE RIGHT of a grandparent to see their grandchildren after a divorce could become enshrined within law, it is reported.
MPs from across the political spectrum are backing an amendment to the Children’s Act which would refer to a youngster’s right to have a relationship with close members of their extended family, a national newspaper said.
This would include aunts and uncles having access to their nephews and nieces. Currently, a relative must apply to a court for access rights, then for a child arrangement order (CAO) to be put into place, which costs time and money in legal fees.
The issue was debated in the House of Commons last week, with Conservative MP Nigel Huddleston saying he had heard stories of grandparents who have tried to send birthday cards or Christmas gifts to their grandchildren and found themselves being visited by the police and accused of harassment.
He told the House: “Divorce and family breakdown can take an emotional toll on all involved, but the family dynamic that is all too often overlooked is that between grandparents and their grandchildren.
“When access to grandchildren is blocked, some grandparents call it a kind of living bereavement.”
Fellow Conservative Tim Loughton pointed out there was a “supposition that the parents should both be as involved as possible in their children’s upbringing”.
He asked if “it would be equally appropriate to have a presumption that grandparents should be involved as much as possible in the upbringing of those children, unless – and only unless – there is a problem with the welfare of that child?”
Justice Minister Lucy Frazer told the Telegraph she would consider a change in the law. “It is clear that the system could work better and I am keen to look into how we can improve it”, she said.
BBC presenter Dame Esther Rantzen, who campaigns for grandparents’ rights, said any new legal right would be ‘wonderful news for grandchildren’. She said: ‘It is a relationship that matters so much and I have heard tragic stories of grandparents forced to try to prove there is a relationship. The law needs to recognise this relationship which means so much.
“The French have got it right – they give children the legal right of access to their extended family, particularly grandparent.”
A LIFELONG champion of the most vulnerable members of society, Dame Esther Rantzen’s comments about the rights of grandparents will resonate. Like so many, she believes it should be a legal right that they can see their grandchildren on those regrettable occasions when families do split up.
Giving her backing to moves to enshrine this in law, Dame Esther spoke for many when she said the most important people of all in such circumstances are the grandchildren – and their needs are as important, if not more so, than those of their warring parents. This is a very special relationship and the real sadness is the number of grandparents who have missed out on playing a part in the upbringing of their grandchildren for action like this to be taken.