| Individual Case support
John Hemming's office will keep a central list of people who are being supported and who is dealing with them.
John Hemming's office cannot handle detailed casework cases outside his own constituency. His office will, however, keep a record of each case being handled (which will have a case reference number).
For each case his office can:
Ensure that the individuals' case is put to their constituency Member of Parliament so that their MP can act on their behalf
Provide support through parliament for other members of parliament to help them dealing with case work
Identify a Justice for Families caseworker (who will normally be part of one of the affiliated organisations) who will offer support
From time to time find a solicitor willing to fight the case properly. We may suggest that people sack their solicitors and fight the case with help as Litigants in Person. There are too many examples where Parents' solicitors have acted to undermine their case by either not contesting an order or accepting on behalf of their clients that the S31 threshold has been met when it hasn't.
Identify if there are any common factors with other cases – flawed medical evidence etc.
Keep other contact details as appropriate.
Justice for Families caseworkers
These are volunteers who have agreed to assist individuals with problems. John Hemming's office will keep a list of people willing to act as caseworkers. These will range through three categories:
Those people who have acted on a number of times as Mackenzie friends and can assist people in completing papers for court as Litigants in Person. These people would perhaps be described as Lay Representatives although they have no right of audience.
Those people who have limited experience, but are willing to act as Mckenzie friends, but do not claim a lot of experience in Public Family Law
Those people who are willing to talk on the phone and offer support and advice, but have no experience as Mckenzie friends.
We cannot warrant anything about the advice offered which is not paid for. There are also a small number of Mckenzie friends who can assist with court work, but need their expenses paid or a small fee. Justice for Families can put people in touch with such Mckenzies, but they are not officially "Justice for Families" Mckenzies.
Relationship with the system
There are a number of perspectives that different volunteers take.
Some take the view that people should co-operate with social services for assessments and the like, but fight the legal proceedings to the utmost.
Others take the view that people should not co-operate with social services whatsoever unless forced to by a court order
Justice for Families takes the view that people should obey the law and does not support the abduction of children subject to a court order. We do not, however, take a view as to whether people should respond in the style of 1 or 2.
The evidence from statistics is that children under 5 that are taken into care with a legal procedure (PPO,EPO,ICO or CO) are most likely to end up adopted. This appears to be the case whether or not people cooperate with social services (as a result of the targets). Hence there is a good argument for 2.
Other bodies that may be able to help
- Family Rights Group - offer a helpline which might be particularly helpful to grandparents.
- The Children's legal centre - offer a service for Looked After Children. They may be a bit too system orientated, however.
