50 signatures reached
To: Esther McVey
The size of my wallet shouldn't dictate access to my child. #fatherstoo
Let's get the Government to change the legislation that sets the policy for the CMS. A simple additional clause that freezes all aggressive behavior by the CMS, until child access rights have been resolved - it's not a hard thing to do, or to understand.
Why is this important?
Every child has the right to free and unfettered access to their father.
When a marriage breaks down that relationship is even more important to maintain, but unfortunately, a few mothers will attempt to disrupt that relationship, if not worse.
Should a father need to seek legal representation to have his and his child's rights recognized and protected, it may become difficult for him to keep up maintenance payments; it is at this point that a mother may ask the Child Maintenance Service to forcibly collect maintenance payments from the father, thereby diverting funds away from affording legal representation.
This cannot be right. The size of my wallet shouldn't dictate access to my child. CMS activity should be paused while access arrangements and rights are resolved. Just as a mother has the right to expect maintenance from her child's father, the father has the right to expect access to his child.
Let's get the Government to change the legislation that sets the policy for CMS. A simple additional clause that freezes all aggressive behavior by the CMS, until child access rights have been resolved - it's not a hard thing to do, or to understand. Existing policy insists access and maintenance are separate issues, but in the real world these can, unfortunately, be inextricably linked. It is not one or the other.
In a day when women's rights to equal pay is making headlines and causing furrowed brows and tut-tuts at those who do not enforce this, the same conversation should be had nationally, about a father's rights to access to his child (not to mention the child's right to access to its father). How these are enforced, respected and maintained, and importantly how a state agency can be used to help deny them all needs to be improved.
#fatherstoo
When a marriage breaks down that relationship is even more important to maintain, but unfortunately, a few mothers will attempt to disrupt that relationship, if not worse.
Should a father need to seek legal representation to have his and his child's rights recognized and protected, it may become difficult for him to keep up maintenance payments; it is at this point that a mother may ask the Child Maintenance Service to forcibly collect maintenance payments from the father, thereby diverting funds away from affording legal representation.
This cannot be right. The size of my wallet shouldn't dictate access to my child. CMS activity should be paused while access arrangements and rights are resolved. Just as a mother has the right to expect maintenance from her child's father, the father has the right to expect access to his child.
Let's get the Government to change the legislation that sets the policy for CMS. A simple additional clause that freezes all aggressive behavior by the CMS, until child access rights have been resolved - it's not a hard thing to do, or to understand. Existing policy insists access and maintenance are separate issues, but in the real world these can, unfortunately, be inextricably linked. It is not one or the other.
In a day when women's rights to equal pay is making headlines and causing furrowed brows and tut-tuts at those who do not enforce this, the same conversation should be had nationally, about a father's rights to access to his child (not to mention the child's right to access to its father). How these are enforced, respected and maintained, and importantly how a state agency can be used to help deny them all needs to be improved.
#fatherstoo
