"A great underfunded charity"

If it wasn’t for FnF I wouldn’t being seeing my daughter and I would have wasted all my time and money with no result. This is a great under funded organisation for all parents not just fathers.

"An absolutely essential support…"

An absolutely essential support organisation for men and women going through the family courts. As a provider of work for domestic abusers, many of whom are "appearing in the Family Court" we suggest that everyone should attend FNF. The support with presenting cases and via McKenzie friends is incredibly valuable. Our favourite would be Harrow, which in our opinion offers the best service, but that is not in any way to undermine all the many other branches, some of whom we not know.

"FNF GIVES UNPRECEDENTED SUPPORT"

FNF has given me the unprecedented support and guidance through the unjust system weighted against fathers often suffering vindictive allegations of abuse that have been fabricated to stop and control contact with their children. Through the trauma of the injustice there has been no one there except FNF in these lonely and traumatic times and we are reliant on FNF to reach the other side so that the children and father can be reunited and in each others’ lives.
FNF must continue to campaign for equality and for children’s rights to equal and shared parenting and expose the abuse of the legal system by some parents to alienate the non resident parent.FNF needs to grow and its voice be a significant part of the government and justice system.

"Incredibly supportive people"

Incredibly supportive people! Their motto is that you're not alone!

"Very helpful and unique organisation"

Very helpful and unique organisation

"FND…"

A really helpful organisation which supports its service users very well and campaigns for the best outcomes for children whose parents are separated or divorced

"Step parent experience"

When my partner told me about the extent the mother of his children went to stop him seeing his daughter I could not believe it and felt we had to be the only one going through it. Until we found FNF we had no idea our story was just one of thousands; if only these mums understand the harm they are causing their children.

"Support for dads, mums, grandparents..."

I have had quite a bit of engagement with FnF for more than a decade now.

Originally I sought advice from their forum in support of a friend experiencing post-separation abuse & manipulation & restriction of his child's relationship with him.

I regularly attended local branch meetings and was struck by the knowledgable & empathetic peer support & advice offered by the mums, dads & grandparents who attended. This demolished any illusion that FnF was a men's rights organisation, or only worked with fathers.

Since then I have often recommended FnF as a source of practical & emotional support for anyone who is experiencing post-separation abuse or challenges maintaining their relationship with a child following family breakdown.

When asked, and if able, I have been happy to support the charity by speaking at national & local events about psychological evidence around family breakdown and child welfare matters. I was really disappointed to have to pull out of their 2023 conference due to ill health.

"What an amazing organisation"

What an amazing organisation, offering help, support and advice. A really informative and pioneering charity. Thank you!

"A beacon of light amongst an otherwise dark and complex system that only serves to damage children"

FnF was recommended to me at a point when I was completely blindsided after settling into post-divorce life, seeing my two older children regularly four years on from separation. I was informed that my children wanted to move 200 miles away and that their mother had agreed this with them. I was told that I had no say in the matter, and that this was all done behind my back because if I was involved I would only object to 'what the children wanted'. The fact that this happened about three weeks before my new partner and I were expecting the birth of our new baby had nothing to do with this, of course. So my older children would be deprived of a relationship of their younger sibling, having been previously very excited about their imminent new brother.

At the time my daughter was 13 and my son 10, my son was even told he would still see me a couple of times a week despite the four-hour journey between us. My objection to this at the time resulted in the children blaming me for the upset, and I could not do anything to show them they had a right to a relationship with both parents. I was branded selfish and my ex then started to throw all sorts of allegations at me despite not having had any contact with her apart from to discuss family logistics. My daughter turned against me completely and I barely saw her for six months despite living half a mile away.

Then I attended an FnF meeting after my patient and suffering, heavily pregnant partner found them, in Harrow with their leader David Dunne, a volunteer who has selflessly helped many hundreds of people over the years. My eyes were opened to a cruel world with mine being a very mild case unfortunately. The group of parents and grandparents (it is a very inclusive organisation) all had harrowing stories to tell with some not seeing their children for years. I was given realistic expectations, which was basically that I could not do anything to prevent what was happening, but that I could do something to ensure that the relationship with my older children would not be lost.

FnF give you the tools and advice to guide people through the minefield of the unjust and broken system in this country, and the support that you and your family need to cope at the worst time in many people's lives. Whilst it is hard to achieve a fully positive outcome in many cases they can at least help to recover some sort of meaningful relationship between parents and their children. In my case my children are grown up now (19 and 16), and they did move away - but not before I managed to achieve a positive outcome in terms of visitation (even Cafcass recommended that their mother must bring them to see me, not the other way around). Of course I see them less now they are older but I always know that without FnF I would barely know them now, and am heartened that when times are tough for them they always turn to Dad for help and guidance.