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Grandparents demand easier access to children

Four in ten grandparents lose contact with their grandchildren after the parents split up, new research has found.

Of 211 grandparents who were questioned on behalf of Families Need Fathers and the Grandparents' Association, 55 per cent said that, prior to the parents separating, they were directly involved in their grandchildren's care. However, two-thirds said that they were prevented from caring for their grandchildren following a family breakdown.

Campaigners for grandparents' rights gathered in Westminster last Monday for the launch of the research, and met with MPs including Stuart Jackson, shadow minister for Communities and Local Government, and Susan Kramer, the Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston.

Television presenter Gloria Hunniford introduced the report, Beyond the Nuclear: Including the Wider Family. She said, 'This report highlights the tragic reality of what happens when children lose out on a relationship with grandparents after the separation of their parents. It shows the need for Government to address the importance of grandparents in future policy and legislation.'

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