Parent, Family and Allies Network

Category: Covid-19

  • Remote Hearings

    PFAN has carried out a consultation with parents involved in remote Family Court hearings due to coronavirus restrictions. We found that parents had severe problems with their legal representation and felt their hearings were inhumane and unfair. Full report Hear the BBC report on Today starting at 46 min 20 sec into the show PFAN […]

  • Covid and CP Conferences

    The Nuffield Family Justice Observatory has announced a survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 on child protection conferences. The research team is calling for parents and professionals with experience of child protection conferences during the pandemic to take part. Further details are here

  • The Government’s response to COVID-19: Impact on human rights

    The Government’s response to COVID-19: Impact on human rights

    The Parents, Families and Allies Network (PFAN) is a new UK wide group aiming to promote natural justice and procedural fairness in children’s social care including the right of parents and children to fully participate in all decisions that affect their lives. It was launched in October 2019 at a conference in York hosted by […]

  • Severance is a feminist issue – Sue Robson

    Sue is a feminist activist and campaigner with over 35 years practical experience in community development work with women and girls. She is kinship carer for her 11 year old grandson and was awarded a PhD in Applied Social Science by Durham University in 2016. Sue is passionately committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination […]

  • Remote Court Hearings trauma

    Remote court hearings putting vulnerable women in traumatic situations ‘which place them at unjust disadvantage’ This article in the Independent outlines some of the issues raised by remote court hearings. It starts: Remote court hearings introduced to cope with the coronavirus crisis are putting vulnerable women who face losing their children in traumatic situations, which puts them […]

  • PAR Advice to parents of children in care during corona virus

    PAR, Parents Advocacy and Rights, has published guidance for parents in Scotland on concerning practices where children’s social work has made blanket decisions to end contact between children and their parents. It argues that these decisions are breach of legal duties and gives advice on what affected parents can do. Read the advice here.

  • Open Letter to First Minister of Scotland

    In Scotland, according to PAR (Parents Advocacy and Rights), many councils are cancelling direct contact between children in care and their parents and siblings. Many councils are ceasing all contact with immediate effect, indefinitely. PAR has sent an open letter to Nicola Sturgeon asking for these practices to be ended and for case by case […]

  • Equal Chance – FIN SEQ

    This is the 10th April 2020 newsletter of FIN SEQ (the Family Inclusion Network of SE Queensland) written by and with parents involved in the Queensland child protection system. It includes a great article by Bobbi about contact and the artwork. Her piece starts: This is a time for carers and parents to make valuable […]

  • Tips for remote family contact

    This paper Things to do when you cannot be with your child. Ways to supplement Face-to-Face visits or when those are not possible. was written by Rose Marie Wentz gives useful tips for parents who are having to contact their children using phone and video read more And this second paper Virtual Visits Recommendations by […]

  • Supportive Remote Visitation

    This video aims to address foster parents concerns about remote visits which include fear of inviting someone into their home, albeit remotely, confusion on how the visit will be structured, and needing to know how much or little they are expected to participate in the visit. See the video