Welcome!
I have difficulty in writing about the subject title of my book, The War On Dads & Children. The difficulty is this; despite the pivotal events of my entry (unwanted) into the gateway agencies and the family court process itself happening in 2007, over 14 years ago, my difficulty is in controlling my anger at the deliberate ‘child endangering gender discrimination,’ which lies at the heart of such process in the UK family court system.
This website is designed to inform, assist, educate and above all campaign to replace the institutional malpractice within the gateway agencies and bodies surrounding the family court, with ‘gender neutral impartial professionalism.’
My credentials are thus:
5 Ombudsman Investigations in my favour, 3 were Parliamentary Ombudsman and 2 of those were into CAFCASS (Children and family court advisory support service).
I played a pivotal role in the only ever external investigation into ‘Systemic Failings in the UK Family Court process’ in persuading the EU Commission to investigate said systemic failings. Read here
I have had 43 hearings in my own case, 38 as a Litigant in Person though usually assisted by very good McKenzie Friends (Lay advisers).
I have been a McKenzie Friend for 12 years, assisting in around 350 hearings.
I was a house husband for over 9 years and have neither a caution, charge or conviction to my name. I have also been a school governor since 2006 and hold enhanced Disclosure Barring Service.
I have also been a committee member of the Central London branch of the shared parenting charity Families Need Fathers since 2008. From 2011 I have been the Chair of that branch and also the North London branch.
In 2018 and 2019 myself and John Baker assisted by an excellent committee have twice organised conferences on Parental Alienation in 2017 and False Allegations in the family courts 2018. Some of the videos are here
The purpose of the above is to establish credibility and seek support from those who either wish to remove the institutional malpractice or themselves need support in maintaining a relationship with their children.
For those ‘students,’ or experts? In this business who adhere to the conspiracy theories regarding any or all of the following concerning the Davos theory, the Frankfurt school, the Bilderberg conference, UN secret chambers, New World Order etc, don’t bother reading any further!
This website is for grown ups who wish and are willing to do something about the disastrous state of affairs for children and fathers post- divorce or separation in the UK compared to other leading world nations. Not for those who seek excuses of convenience to justify either doing nothing or dissuading others from doing something positive. But I have deep sympathy for the many, many excellent fathers who have been wrongly excluded from their children’s lives.
Section 1 of the Children Act 1989 has at its heart the principle that the ‘Welfare of the Child is Paramount.’ Quite! However, that has been so subverted by vested interests as to be quite often meaningless. It is however a brilliant phrase of convenience to disguise the huge institutional malpractice which is so often of a gendered nature. Basically, mothers are wonderful, fathers are evil mindset is at the heart of the child endangering malpractice.
I am NOT a Men’s Rights Activist; they can fight their own battles. I was a primary carer of children, not of men. Neither am I an antifeminist where equality of opportunity is the aim, in fact I totally support that aim. I am most definitely anti that offshoot of feminism which has broadly hijacked the agencies and process surrounding the family court system irrespective of what damage it does to vulnerable children and their fathers.
For the record I am PURELY a Shared Parenting Advocate, believing that children do much better when reared by both parents and their wider families on both sides. And I detest the very small minority of fathers who have gained primary residence and then engage in parental alienation of the children against the mother. But the primary parental alienators are vindictive mothers assisted by innumerable agencies and personnel of like mind. Those, I want to see discarded in the dustbin of history for the untold damage that you do to children!
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
I have lots of things to share about my voyage and crusade. Please come back often or better yet share your email with me, and I will keep you updated when my new posts are ready.
Follow me on Twitter @vincentmcgover7