A NEATH father-of-two is providing help to parents fighting for child
custody across the UK.
Layton Bevan, from Cadoxton, is the man behind Fassit (Families' anti social
services inquiry team).
He and another parent from Manchester set up the internet-based support
service to help parents regain custody of their children if they believe
social services departments have wrongly taken them into care.
Just three months after the idea was discussed in his Neath kitchen, the
website is now getting 5,000 hits a day and providing other parents with the
support they need.
"We understand what they are going through," said the 45-year-old"
If parents feel there have been spurious allegations made by social workers,
then they can contact us.
We want to secure children back with their families where there is no risk
to them. When someone makes an inquiry on the website we will get back
within 24 hours with help. Within the next four months we should have a
telephone helpline set up as well.
Mr Bevan said some children did get abused at home and were rightly taken
into care. But the Fassit service was there to help parents who felt social
services departments had acted wrongly, he said.
It is also aimed at introducing more openness in the family court system.
An Early Day Motion, currently being debated in the House of Commons,
revolves around two children in Essex being taken into care. The parents and
MPs have been working with Mr Bevan and his partners on the issue.
Three MPs have signed the EDM and are in support of what we are doing," he
added.
This week we have been invited to London (Nov 7th & 10) to take part in a
shadow government debate regarding amendments to Children Act 2004.
So what we are doing is really starting to get noticed by some of the most
influential people in the country.
Fassit is now officially involved with the conciliation process, which could
result in changes to our family law."
The Fassit website can be found at
www.fassit.co.uk
BY ED THOMAS
ed.thomas@swwp.co.uk
