23th
February 2003
Fathers-4-Justice
challenge UK policy of massive expansion of Contact Centers
Matt
O'Connor met with the UK Minister for the Family, Rosie Winterton.
Here is an email from Matt which discussed the Minister's announcement
to massively expand Child Contact Centres:
I discussed
Rosie Winterton's announcement
with her on Saturday, 15th Feb 2003.
It
seems the announcement is her 'quick fix' to show that the government
IS doing something about the problem. She can now pretend, in typical
New Labour fashion, that she is responding to the Government Consultation
Document 'Making Contact Work'.
The
massive expansion of Child Contact Centres is being done against
a background where the constant demonisation of fathers in the LCD
and Home Office as being violent men, who shouldn't be trusted with
their children, and therefore need to be supervised, permeates every
level.
I am convinced
she knows that this is a deceitful misrepresentation of the vast
majority of fathers.
Apart from a minority of cases the only purpose I can see for contact
centres is as pick up/drop off points.
End of story.
Any expansion
of contact centres will be vigorously opposed by F4J - and I have
told her this. The £2.6 million announced will, when it filters
down, be the cost of a pair of curtains per centre, curtains that
they will use to cover up the problem just as they used Making Contact
Work to wallpaper over the reality of broken, unenforced orders.
The Minister
does not want to face up to having to take the action necessary.
There simply isn't the political will - and their in lies the crux.
F4J is using
a twin track strategy of using protest to create publicity and,
increasingly, stepping up political pressure on MP's. Political
pressure is
critical.
One of the BIGGEST
PROBLEMS facing us are other groups who are actively promoting mediation
and parenting classes which the Minister wants, yet what difference
will this make when mothers do not even adhere to Court Orders?
What chance then that mothers will volunteer for these classes?
We know the answer.
Parenting classes
fudge the issues and will again allow the government to sweep the
problem and the lack of justice under the carpet whilst making more
grand announcements and throwing money at it, some of which
will find its way into the pockets of other groups scrambling around
for funds. This is insanity, prolongs the suffering and allows the
system to carry on with impunity.
If
you think things are bad now, I am very afraid that after my discussion
with the Minister, they are going to get a lot worse, helped, regrettably,
by other equal parenting groups.
Best
Wishes
Matt O'Connor
Related
News:
Three protesters, from Suffolk based equal parenting campaign group;
Fathers-4-Justice were arrested 
This
week's PRIVATE EYE piece on CAFCASS
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