Should Grandparents Have Rights?
Who decides which people have access to our children?
The feeling of new life coming into the world is incomparable. For parents, it’s a wonderful experience.
But there is another relationship that can be key in a child’s life.
With a grandparent.
In many families, the role of a grandparent is such an important one…
Free childcare when parents return to work, a caring and relaxed place for the child to be fed and watered, entertainment at the weekends.
So what if the child’s parents separate?
Do grandparents still have the right to see their grandchildren?
By law, there’s no automatic right to access.
This can be painful if, for example, a child’s father is no longer in the picture, and his parents may be denied access to the child by the mother. However, many feel that, in this instance, the child’s mother shouldn’t be allowed to make these potentially life-changing decisions for their child.
Up to 300,000 family carers and grandparents are raising kids who can’t live with their parents.
Carers
Dr Lucy Peake, chief executive of Grandparents Plus, a national charity supporting grandparents, says, ‘Grandparents can bring a huge amount to children’s lives. Research has shown that in cases of parental separation, grandparents are an important source of stability and love.’ Studies by Grandparents
Plus show there are around 14 million grandparents in the UK.
Many are dedicated to their role in the family.
In a recent Ipsos MORI poll commissioned by Grandparents Plus, Save the Children and Family and Childcare Trust, nearly two million grandparents have made sometimes drastic changes in their lives to look after their grandkids.
Dr Peake says, ‘Grandparents are a hidden army of carers – research shows that millions have cut their hours, taken time off or days off sick, or stopped working altogether to take the pressure off their own children.’
Furthermore, the poll reveals that 12 per cent of grandparents admitted to having spent over £1,000 a year on their grandchildren.
Child welfare
Despite these figures, many grandparents are still being denied access to grandchildren in cases of family break-up.
Divorce or separation can lead to bitterness and animosity, with the child perhaps, sadly, becoming a weapon in the process.
Some often find themselves resorting to family courts of law to try to gain access to a grandchild. Dr Peake adds, ‘Going to court to gain access to a grandchild can be very expensive, there’s no guarantee of success and it can make things within the family worse, so it’s a big decision to make.’
At the centre of this disagreement, the welfare of the child may be ignored.
Grandparents Plus prioritises the welfare of the children, placing them as the focal point of discussions.
But should grandparents automatically be given rights to see a child they have bonded with deeply?
Or is being a grandparent simply a privilege that may be short-lived?
Two thirds of all grandparents look after their grandkids. One in five nans provide 10 hours a week of childcare.