Lisa Cohen

My fight for my children

Lisa Cohen will be speaking for JUMP, Jewish Unity for Multiple Parenting, a support and lobby group. She will be talking about “My fight for my children" and the living bereavement it creates and how parental alienation affects the relationship with the parent. She is including a short film on the subject of PAS.

About JUMP (Jewish Unity for Multiple Parenting)

JUMP is a voluntary Jewish support and lobby group that aims to improve parenting time arrangements for the non-resident parent to see their children following separation and divorce. JUMP strives to improve parent-child relationships from a religious, social and legal perspective for those parents who find themselves in this heartbreaking situation. Essentially, the aim is for both parents to be recognised as equal parents who are fully supported throughout all areas of the Jewish community. JUMP has developed relationships with a number of Rabbis and social, medical and legal representatives to obtain as much support and guidance for its initiatives.
In addition, an ongoing dialogue with the Chief Rabbi, Sir Jonathan Sacks, has shown that he is supportive of both parents maintaining a very positive role in their children's lives following separation and divorce as confirmed by his Office’s written evidence submitted to the Constitutional Affairs Committee Inquiry in January 2005.

JUMP successfully published its Jewish Parenting Plans Booklet at the end of 2006 which was supported by the Chief Rabbi and the President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews.  This publication has generated support from CAFCASS, Sir Mark Potter, President of the Family Division, Lord Justice Thorpe, Head of International Family Law for England and Wales, as a useful document for separating and divorcing Jewish parents, and also interest from the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain.

JUMP has also built positive links with all the key UK national parent and grandparent organisations in this arena including Families Need Fathers (FNF), Fathers Direct, Equal Parenting Coalition (EPC), Mothers Apart from Their Children (MATCH) and Parent and Abducted Children Together (PACT). JUMP will continue to work with these organisations to lobby for legal change to achieve:
•A transformation in the culture of parenting for separated and divorced parents to meet the needs of 21st century family life
•A legal presumption of co-parenting together with a recommendation for a minimum acceptable amount of parenting time for children to spend with both parents following separation/divorce and for children to spend time with grandparents and their extended family

•An effective early intervention programme prior to Court proceedings together with the use of parenting education and formalised parenting plans

Greater sanctions for parents who do not abide by Court Orders relating to parenting time arrangements and who fabricate stories regarding the other parent to influence their children to turn away from the other parent

The aim is that with these fundamental changes a growing number of children in the UK will be able to maintain a loving, nurturing and meaningful relationship with both parents and their extended families. This will hopefully reduce the distress and tension faced by children in adjusting to the ending of their parents’ relationship.

JUMP is well aware of recent Government initiatives and proposed new legislation to try to improve relationships between parents and children following separation and divorce and has provided responses to the following Government and Law Society documents and consultations:

•Government Green Paper on Parental Separation, July 2004
•Constitutional Affairs Committee Inquiry into the UK Family Law System, January 2005
•2nd Edition of the Law Society’s Family Law Protocol, February 05
•DfES Parenting Plans Document Review, April 2005
•Draft Children (Contact) & Adoption Bill, February 2005
•House of Lords Review of the Children (Contact) & Adoption Bill,
June - November 2005
•CAFCASS 'Every Day Matters' Consultation Paper,
October 2005, - January 2006
•DCA Consultation on Improving Transparency & Privacy in Family Courts July - October 2006
•Government White Paper on ‘A New System of Child Maintenance’ –December 2006
 

JUMP Contact

Lisa Cohen

E-mail: jump.parenting@ntlworld.com

Telephone: 07818 064620 (m)

Website: www.jump-parenting.co.uk