Children Need Families

Children Need Families (CNF) is a not for profit, gender-neutral organisation providing help, assistance and practical support to assist families that are in difficulty and face crisis.

CNF is principally concerned with the problems faced by Parents, Grandparents and the extended family in relation to maintaining and promoting a child's relationship with its immediate family and extended family, during and after separation or divorce.

CNF are equally concerned with and support families and individuals when dealing with the Courts, Solicitors and Network Professionals etc and help them deal with false allegations and a variety of issues that ensure stable conducive living and help promote and maintain family life.

CNF offers realistic, practical help and support when needed in an attempt to promote and maintain family life and help protect children from losing the essential contact with their Parents, Grandparents and the extended family that is vital to them to ensue that they have and enjoy a balanced family life.

The Work CNF does

CNF operate a 24hr telephone help line, offering round the clock advice when you need it.  If you call and we do not answer the phone, please be patient, leave a message and a telephone number we can contact you on and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

CNF, where possible, publishes leaflets and commission posters to help, inform and educate service user about how to find out more about the Courts, Solicitors and other professionals and to help them secure and understand vital information that is often denied them.

This information helps us keep you informed and empowered to understand, challenge and change entrenched attitudes, working practices and facilitate change that have for years split families and ruined lives.

CNF works tirelessly to promote, improve and where possible, change attitudes within the current legal system, with professionals and others.  With the help of our clients and other related organisations CNF will help eliminate unnecessary and protracted legal conflict and where possible, influence social policy by lobbying Parliament, the Judiciary and Network Professionals.

As an organisation CNF are committed to seeking permanent change and improve a legal system that is out of date, out of touch and not fit for purpose and does not protect, serve and reassure families.

CNF are committed to change and improvement that will directly benefit families and serve as a milestone for future generations, ensuring that family life is not systematically dismantled but rebuilt, restoring family values and worth that has long been lost.

CNF will use all aspects of the news and media to bring about those changes where and when possible and make the public at large more aware of the problems that contribute to the systematic decline of the family unit.

CNF also operate a consumer service (Consumers Need Fairness) providing help and support to families who face consumer problems, helping them to address and deal with financial issues that disrupt and cause family brake down and distress. 

Children Need Families Believe

Children have the basic fundamental right to be free of alienation and duress to enjoy and have a happy and meaningful relationship with both of their Parents, their Grandparents and the extended family.

Families are complex units often difficult to understand and be part of.  Parents & Grandparents are not just for the weekend but are for life not just a passing thought that is to be remembered at a special time of year. 

CNF believe that families have a unique and special part to play in the growth and development and education of children and that any disruption to the family unit that is not dealt with expediently and swiftly will further compound and exacerbate problems that already exist. 

CNF believes that families should work together in order to provide stability and equality in their children's lives, thus promoting harmony and balance that is essential to their conducive living and that will teach children all are equal.

CNF believes that where and when possible, children should share their lives with both parents.   When Parents are in dispute about where children should live, Shared Parenting is a practical and logical way forward if the family dynamics allow.

CNF believes that there should be a better system of checks and balances for the Network Professionals, Family Practitioners and the Judiciary, to help prevent and eliminate the long and protracted court battles that prevent children from having and maintaining a private and family life based that is often based on allegation rather than tangible hard facts. 

Greater accountability gives families a sense of fairness and the hope at least, of justice to a family that often is ripped apart by the arbitrator, who understands very little about how complex and difficult family relationships and dynamics are.

CNF are and continue to be concerned that families are split apart for no valid or credible reason and that all to often professionals get it wrong but their negligence and maladminstration goes unchecked and that they are all to often unaccountable.

CNF believes that families will benefit greatly if there is more openness and transparency and accountability in the family courts and that those professionals who mislead the courts to improve and secure their financial gain should be dealt with effectively and swiftly.  That false allegations should be better and thoroughly investigated and that those found wasting court time with false allegations to ensure their position is upheld should be dealt with more appropriately and effectively to discourage the sense of hopelessness that most families feel when entering the court system.

CNF believe that poor service and bad working practices account for a high percentage of the families that are ripped apart and destroyed and that such actions left without redress will only send a message that with impunity a person or professional can mislead the court and that they will never be held to account.

CNF believe that until the courts remove the financial incentives for Solicitors, Barristers and Network Professionals and even the playing field, the only losers are children themselves.

CNF believe that the one fits all approach form the courts and the authorities is a working practices that continues to be dangerous for families and until professionals ensure that what they say or write down is checked and credible, families will continue to be undermined, ripped apart and destroyed.