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Dispelled the myth that
grandparents have a right of contact with their
grandchildren. Now that the problem has been identified and
accepted we have attempted to raise the profile of
grandparents all over the UK and show the benefits and
protection they can offer grandchildren.
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Provided a helpline service
for grandparents that was not available before. We are very
proud of our helpline ‘A listening ear’ for devastated
grandparents, which we know has comforted some grannies that
were suicidal
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Worked in a Stakeholder Group
with the Scottish Government as a result the ‘Charter for
Grandchildren’ and the ‘Parenting Agreement’ were created to
help families and children in particular.
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Shown that ‘Bridge building’
is our speciality. The more grandparents that are aware of
our existence the more we can fulfil our motto of ‘Bringing
Families Together’
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Became tired waiting
for further improvements, we decided to take the matter into
our own hands and proposed to open an independent Family
Information and Education Centre so we asked for a £½
million Big Lottery Grant but were knocked back, instead we
were awarded £10, 000,00p to develop our idea as a Mobile
Family Information and Education Centre.
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Highlighted the
unfairness of our legal aid system and it has now been
announced that new proposals from the legal aid board
and the Scottish Government are to change the way solicitors
are to be paid for legal aid work.
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Risen from being seen as a
complainer to the Government to being a respected source of
information to allow them to gather information about
families, being invited to meetings and our opinions sought.
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Recently we have got
Children1st (NSPCC) agreeing with us on 3 points:-
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They are urging
the government to give grandparents the right of
information on their grandchildren’s welfare.
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That The Charter
for Grandchildren and Parenting Agreement must be
publicised more
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Family
Information Centres should be available throughout the
country. And for children’s protection in drug and
alcohol homes.
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Adam Ingram MSP Minister for
Children invited us to a meeting in June to hear our views
on kinship care as we have been campaigning hard for this.
On 4th
December 2007 the
Scottish Government announced they would be paying the
granny grant
of £119 to £199
to kinship granny carers.
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This year 2008 our
group has been invited once more to work with the Scottish
Government on ‘Making
Contact Work’. Our first meeting was very encouraging and we
did get across that the administration of family law have
become blasé in the best interests of the child and need to
be tightened up and monitored