Grandparents
Grandparents are playing an increasingly important role in family life, offering love, support, advice and experience. The relationship between a child and their grandparent is unique and contributes to a mutual sense of well being and belonging within the family.
Furthermore, grandparents now provide a significant amount of childcare support and as a result are spending more time with their grandchildren than ever before.
Where a relationship breaks down, possibly through family issues, death, divorce or separation, it is often a source of great distress to grandparents that they find themselves having less and less contact with grandchildren. Historically case law has tended to consider contact in favour of absent parents, leaving grandparents feeling neglected and powerless but the courts now recognise the huge role grandparents have and the contribution they make.
We have helped many grandparents successfully achieve and maintain contact with their grandchildren even when hope appeared to be lost.
If you are worried about losing contact with your grandchildren, the first step is to approach either the mother or father and explain that you do not wish to take sides in the separation but would like reassurance that you will be able to continue having regular contact with the children. If approached with sensitivity, many parents will respond to this reasonable request.
If this fails you should seek good legal advice.
Download our free fact sheet: Grandparents Rights.
