An appeal

Not the President’s judgment in Re R a child 2014  (I need a bit longer to do my piece on that, but it is here http://flba.co.uk/blog/2014/12/16/re-r-a-child-2014-ewca-civ-1625/   and Lucy has done a piece on it here http://www.pinktape.co.uk/legal-news/sorry-whats-that-you-say/  )

My gut feeling is that this is really just the Court of Appeal saying “If you are appealing against a Placement Order, come to us with an actual argument as to why the Judge got this wrong, not just on a technicality, but an actual argument about the facts”    (or an even shorter version “Stop making b**locks appeals”)

No, this is an appeal via one of my readers.  This reader, a very nice person, read my “What to do if Social Workers are Trying to Steal your Children” blog post with some practical advice.

This mother was helped enormously by a charity, and she in turn would like to help them. As with any charity, money and funding is scarce, so this is an appeal that if you were in a charitable frame of mind at this time of year, this looks to me to be a very good cause.

  www.familiesincare.com.   This is a very small charity which supports, advocates, and advises North East families who are faced with Child Protection Proceedings.
In order not to get this mother into any difficulties and at her request, I’ve taken out the very moving and impressive story, but I can absolutely tell you that this charity has made a massive difference to her life and other people like her, and I think they need to be helped to keep doing so.

  They have students – both Law and Social Work – who come in on placement, and many stay on to volunteer. There is a Parents Group for parents who have lost children to adoption, gently supporting them through their own disenfranchised grief process, and Families In Care help parents with Letter Box Contact.  

In short, this is a rare gem, a beacon of hope to parents faced with the most horrifying of times.     However, Families In Care are struggling. Having had their funding removed from a particular source, they are now in a position where they face imminent closure. This just cannot happen. It just can’t. So many families rely on their presence, their hands to hold, and their commitment to ensuring parents are heard and fairly treated.  

Families In Care have made an Urgent Christmas Appeal for help:   http://shoutout.wix.com/so/97a9fcf6-5dfa-4cc7-b4f3-25f19be6934b#/main   

Families In Care need £3000 before January or they will close and families will be left without support at the worst, most vulnerable time.     Please help, it really would mean an awful lot.

If you can help Families In Care at all, they seem like people who have the potential to really make a difference to people who need help.   Even better, if you happen to be someone in the North East who has some sway over budgets and resources, please see if you can give this charity some support.