RAISING THE PROFILE OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS CARE

[David Roth]

Message from FRG Chief Executive Cathy Ashley:

Kerry McCarthy MP is proposing next Tueday 7th June in Parliament a 10 minute rule bill which aims to raise the profile of family and friends carers. It won't become law but is an excellent publicity device. It would enable a family member (as defined in Section 105 of the Children Act 1989) who is raising a child to obtain parental responsibility without having to go to court to get a Residence Order or Special Guardianship Order. It would be consistent with the option open to stepparents and would be helpful where there really is a consensual private arrangement between the parents and family carer, or where the situation is temporary and going to court would be too costly and could upset the dynamics between parents and family carer. By getting parental responsibility it would give the family carer the authority, for example, to agree school trips and give them more ammunition to be consulted/recognised in their dealings with professionals and agencies such as HMRC.

This is a really good way of attracting publicity to an issue/cause. Kerry's intention is to use a good proportion of her 10 minute speech in the Commons to highlight the wider context in terms of family and friends carers, and then focus in the later part of her speech on the proposals in the bill, highlighting the difficulties often felt by many carers who are under the radar of public agencies and initially take on the child as a temporary measure. She will make clear that proposals in the bill needs to be part of a package of wider reforms.

In order to get publicity, Kerry needs real case examples of carers for whom such a step would have/would prove extremely helpful, for example a grandparent who takes on a child because mum has a short custodial sentence but who is then unable to sign a consent form for a school trip.

Please do contact Cathy Ashley on cashley@frg.org.uk if you think the measure would have/could help you. You might be quoted in Parliament!

We

[David Roth]

Just to update you on this, Kerry McCarthy MP's 10 minute rule bill went through unopposed on Tuesday. This would enable parents to sign a parental responsibility agreement with carers who are raising the children under a private arrangement e.g. for a temporary period or where going to court would upset family dynamics. I know that for amny of you whose children came to you through proceeding, this would not have made a difference, but there are some carers who would have benefited by being able to do things this way. And since 10 minute rule bills almost never become law, what this has really achieved has been that it has allowed an MP to raise the issue of the difficulties facing family and friends carers in parliament. Kerry McCarthy also went on to Woman's Hour on Radio 4 to discuss the issues.

You can read her speech here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/p ... 0749000001

Read more on the FRG website here: http://www.frg.org.uk/about_family_and_ ... arers.html

David R
FRG Policy Adviser

[Robin D]

Excellent! [:)] Well done Kerry.

For those wishing to find the speech, it begins almost exactly halfway down the page at 'Column 65'.

Well done too to Cathy (plus no doubt the rest of the FRG team) for all the hard work. From little acorns .......... [8D]

Grandparent carer in Suffolk [:)]

[David Roth]

We should also thank Paul, a sibling carer who spoke at our Big Bruv Little Sis conference and was then invited with Cathy to appear on Woman's Hour. Here is what Kerry McCarthy said at the end of her speech:

"I would like to finish by thanking Paul, a young man who is bringing up his six younger siblings after his mother walked out, and who had to battle the system for a year and see his brothers and sisters taken into care and put into foster homes before the courts accepted that he was the best person to look after them. It was hearing Paul recently on

[David Roth]

You can watch Kerry McCarthy's speech in the House of Commons here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/ ... 506080.stm

David R
FRG Policy Adviser

[Kate]

Thanks David, just watched the video. Good for Kerry McCarthy, and good for Cathy too [:)]