People wonder why I am always sceptical about grandparents going down the legal route, and I have explained it over and over again, but having had several calls this week from distraught grandparents, I have to write about it again.
For all the grandparents who have had a successful outcome, congratulations, and I am really and genuinely pleased for you and particularly your grandchildren.
For those who criticise me, perhaps they would like to spend the day with me answering the phone to broken grandparents?
The grandparent who had a negative outcome and collapsed afterwards and was rushed to A&E with a suspected heart attack, the grandfather who was accused of being a danger to his grandchildren, the grandparent who tried to take her own life having been falsely accused.
In all of these cases they were not able to defend themselves, all were in the at the asking for ‘leave’ stage, all had three magistrates, all had, had a no safeguarding issue with CAFCASS.
The trauma of this sort of outcome is as you can see catastrophic. The definition of trauma is an acute medical condition associated with a fall in blood pressure, caused by such events as loss of blood, severe burns, allergic reaction, or sudden emotional stress, and marked by cold, pallid skin, irregular breathing, rapid pulse, and dilated pupils.
We are of a generation who believe that justice will prevail, but in Family Law all too often it absolutely doesn’t.
You can be falsely accused of all sorts of horrible things, and have no way to refute them, that is not justice.
Only in Family Law are you guilty and not able to prove your innocence.
As I said in a previous blog, family breakdown in all its forms should not ever go to court, the system is not fit for purpose and hasn’t been for decades.
Millions of children, non resident parents, grandchildren and grandparents have suffered emotional harm due to a broken system.
Make no mistake, non resident parents and estranged grandparents are dying as a result.
For any grandparent who is considering going down the legal route, please make sure you are properly informed, you get expert advice, expect the worse case scenario then anything else is a bonus.
Put yours and your loved ones health seriously and learn to self protect.
