Both Parents Matter

14/10/2026

Thank you to MP Rebecca Smith for speaking up in yesterday's parliamentary debate for children’s right to have both parents recognised in their lives and for highlighting the importance of strengthening safeguards, not weakening the principle that both parents matter.

Children should, wherever it is safe and appropriate, be able to benefit from the love, care and support of both parents. Protecting children from harm must always come first, but so too must recognising the importance of meaningful relationships with both parents.

12/10/2026

💜 Make a difference that lasts a lifetime — and beyond.

By leaving a gift in your Will to Both Parents Matter, you can help us continue our vital work, supporting parents and families for generations to come.

We’ve partnered with FreeWills to offer all our supporters the opportunity to create a fully comprehensive Will for FREE!

✍️ Create your personalised Will online
🏡 Complete it from the comfort of your own home
💬 Get live support from expert Will specialists along the way

Each Will is checked, vetted and approved by a solicitor and your Will can be updated quickly and easily for free, forever. There’s no obligation to leave a gift to Both Parents Matter, but we do hope you will consider this to enable us to continue our important work.

A gift in your Will, no matter the size, could help Both Parents Matter continue making a lasting difference to the lives of parents and families in the years ahead.

👉 Find out more:
https://www.freewills.co.uk/charity/bothparentsmatter

100% Free Wills.

11/10/2026

🏃‍♂️💙 GOOD LUCK, MATT! 💙🏃‍♂️

A huge good luck to our amazing supporter Matt, who is running the Chelmsford Half Marathon today in support of Both Parents Matter! 🙌

We’re so grateful to Matt for taking on this challenge and helping to raise awareness and funds for our work supporting parents experiencing family separation.

💙 Want to show your support? Every donation, big or small, makes a difference and helps us continue our work. Please make Matt's blisters worthwhile and help him reach his fundraising goal!

👉 https://www.justgiving.com/page/matt-keepe-1

🏅👏 Thank you, Matt, for your incredible support — we’ll be rooting for you! 💙

09/10/2026

📣 Become a Trustee of Both Parents Matter!

💙 Help us make a real difference to parents experiencing family separation.

We’re looking for passionate, proactive people to join our Board of Trustees and help shape the future of Both Parents Matter.

This is an opportunity to share your skills, bring fresh perspectives and help drive meaningful change for parents and families.

🌟 We’re particularly interested in people with:

Charity experience – knowledge of how charities operate, or experience of running or supporting charitable organisations.
Digital & IT expertise – skills in websites, technology and building an effective digital presence.
A can-do attitude – organised, proactive problem-solvers who take ownership, turn ideas into action and get things done.

No previous trustee or family court experience is needed! We’re looking for people with the right skills, energy, commitment and independence to help steer our mission.

📩 Interested in joining us?

Send your CV and a short statement explaining why you’d like to become a trustee, what skills and experience you’d bring, and how you could contribute to our future work.

📧 Email: [email protected]
📅 Deadline: 13 October 2026

Help us shape a better future for parents experiencing family separation. We’d love to hear from you! 💙

08/10/2026

🏃‍♂️ Going the extra mile for Both Parents Matter! ❤️

A shout out to our fantastic fundraiser Adam Smithson, who is putting in the miles to raise awareness and funds for Both Parents Matter. He's even set up his own website - 'Miles for Missing Moments' to chart his progress here:
https://www.milesformissingmoments.co.uk/

If you’d like to support Adam, visit his JustGiving page:
💙 https://www.justgiving.com/page/miles-for-missing-moments

A huge thank you to Adam for putting in the miles and helping make a difference! 🙌

A personal fitness challenge raising awareness of family separation and funds for established support organisations.

04/10/2026

💙 Grandparents matter too.

This Grandparents’ Day, we’re celebrating the special role grandparents play in children’s lives — providing love, stability, family history and a sense of belonging.

For some grandparents, though, this day can be a painful reminder of grandchildren they’re no longer able to see.

At Both Parents Matter, we believe children benefit from maintaining meaningful relationships with their wider family wherever it is safe and possible.

Our Grandparents Support Group offers a safe space to talk, share experiences and connect with others who understand.

📞 Our helpline is also here for grandparents: 0300 0300 363

🖥️ Our Grandparents Support Group meets virtually on the second Thursday of every month, 7:30–9:30pm.
https://bothparentsmatter.org.uk/grand-parents/

Read more about our work supporting Grandparents here::
https://bothparentsmatter.org.uk/because-grandparents-matter-too/

Both Parents Matter is dedicated to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to maintain meaningful relationships with both parents and their wider family after separation.

02/10/2026

💙 This is why we do what we do.

Feedback like this means so much to us. It reminds us that behind every conversation, every piece of support and every person we help, there is a family whose lives can be changed for the better.

It’s also a reminder that we’re stronger together. When parents, families and communities work together, positive change is possible.

💙 Together, we can make a difference.

Thank you to everyone who supports Both Parents Matter, shares our message, reaches out for help, or simply believes that children benefit when parents can work together.

30/09/2026

💙 Want to support Both Parents Matter? Here’s an easy way to help!

🎉 Set up your own Facebook fundraiser!

Whether it’s your birthday, a special occasion, a personal challenge — or you simply want to support a cause you believe in — you can raise money for **Both Parents Matter** and help us continue our work supporting children and families.

📣 It only takes a few minutes.
💙 Invite your friends.
🙌 Spread the word.
🌟 Help make a difference.

Every fundraiser, every share and every donation helps.

Set yours up today and get your friends behind Both Parents Matter!
(Just select 'create fundraiser' in your menu and pick us as your Non Profit/Charity)

27/09/2026

🇬🇧 Serving in the Armed Forces and facing family court or separation?

You don’t have to face it alone.

Military life brings unique pressures — deployments, postings, long hours and time away from home can make an already difficult family situation even harder.

Our Armed Forces Support Group is a confidential, understanding space for service personnel navigating family separation and the UK family court system.

💬 Talk to people who understand.
🤝 Share experiences and support.
🧭 Get guidance and feel less alone.

📅 Last Thursday of every month
⏰ 7:30–9:30pm
💻 Online via Microsoft Teams:
https://bothparentsmatter.org.uk/online-armedforces/

Your role in your family matters. Your relationship with your children matters. And support is available. 💙

24/09/2026

The latest Family Court Statistics, released today, covering April to June 2026, show an 11% increase in private law cases coming before the family courts compared to the same quarter last year. However, the average time that private law cases was disposed of was down 3 weeks to 33 weeks.

At Both Parents Matter, whilst we welcome the improvements in time taken to conclude cases, possibly due to the ongoing rollout of Child Focused Courts, we are concerned by this continued increase in demand. More cases entering an already pressured family court system, risk adding more delay pressure; a welcome desire for speedier outcomes to ease that pressure must not though be at the expense of the best welfare outcomes for the child, invariably being able to maintain and build a loving relationship with both parents through proper parenting time.

While the increasing use of AI and online tools may be making it easier for some people to navigate court forms and procedures, the underlying issue remains: court should be a last resort when parents cannot resolve arrangements for their children safely and constructively.

When cases do reach court, every additional case adds pressure to a system still facing significant delays.

For children and parents, those delays aren't simply numbers on a spreadsheet. They can mean months of uncertainty, and a child denied a relationship with a parent, while decisions about their lives and relationships remain unresolved.

At Both Parents Matter, our focus is always on the best interests of the child. Wherever it is safe and appropriate, children benefit from having meaningful relationships with both parents — and family disputes, whether in or preferably outside the family court system, should be resolved as quickly and constructively as possible, without children being caught up in unnecessary or ongoing litigation.

Children don't get their childhood back. Often they don’t get their relationship with a parent back. Every unnecessary delay matters.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-court-statistics-quarterly

A collection giving Accredited official statistics on activity in the family courts of England and Wales.