The Equal Parenting Alliance is a minor political party in the United Kingdom. Founded in February 2006, it aims to bring about reform of the Family law system in England and Wales. It was started by former members of Real Fathers 4 Justice, a

father's rights The fathers' rights movement is a social movement whose members are primarily interested in issues related to family law, including child custody and child support, that affect fathers and their children. Many of its members are fathers who desi ...

organisation, and a similar group

New Fathers 4 Justice New Fathers 4 Justice is a UK-based direct action fathers' rights group campaigning for the rights of fathers to see their children. It is a splinter group of Fathers 4 Justice. History New Fathers 4 Justice (NF4J) is a fathers' rights group. I ...

. Its leader is Ray Barry. The party supports custody being split equally for both parents and that a non-residing parent should be able to spend up to 100 days and nights with their child.

Organisation and membership

The party is made up of a committee and members. Membership was 71 at the end of 2008. Party income in 2006 was £1,245, £2,527 in 2007, and £345 in 2008.

Elections

The party has contested: # Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley election in May 2007, in which Ray Barry gained 124 votes. # Runnymede Council election in May 2007, in which Keith Collett gained 17 votes. # Wolverhampton Council election in May 2008, in which Ray Barry gained 101 votes. # Runnymede Council election in May 2009, in which Keith Collett gained 84 votes. Two candidates stood in the

2010 United Kingdom general election The 2010 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 May 2010, with 45,597,461 registered voters entitled to vote to elect members to the House of Commons. The election took place in 650 constituencies across the United Kingdom unde ...

, Ray Barry for

Wolverhampton South West Wolverhampton South West is a constituency created in 1950 represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Stuart Anderson of the Conservative Party. It was represented by the Conservative Party for 47 years after its f ...

and Roger Crawford in Oxford East.

Party policies

The party policies are: *Legal presumption of reasonable parenting time in the event of parental separation. *

Shared residence Shared may refer to: * Sharing * Shared ancestry or Common descent * Shared care * Shared-cost service * Shared decision-making in medicine * Shared delusion, various meanings * Shared government * Shared intelligence or collective intelligence ...

should be normal when there are two fit, capable parents. *All contact and parenting time arrangements will be governed by the Good Reason Principle. *The introduction of the Early Interventions Pilot Project, EIPP on the EPA website
/ref> to replace the Family Resolutions Project. *Compulsory mediation for both parents after separation and before entering into the court system. Any parent refusing to attend may be so ordered by the court and on subsequent refusal will be charged with contempt of court. *All Family Court cases involving children to be transparent and accountable, and all reporting to be anonymised to protect children from publicity. *Court orders for contact, parenting time and shared or joint residence, must be enforced by the courts unless there is good reason to do otherwise. *All allegations of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

made during a child contact case should be made under oath, and dealt with quickly by a criminal court capable of delivering a clear verdict. *Any parent who deliberately harms a child’s relationship with either parent, without good reason, should be treated as being guilty of emotional and

psychological abuse Psychological abuse, often called emotional abuse, is a form of abuse characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another person to a behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic ...

of the child. *All fathers, regardless of marital status or naming on the birth certificate, to be given parental responsibility. Where paternity is in doubt, a DNA test must be used. *Both parents must have access to a child’s medical and educational records, and full involvement in school activities. *Grandparents should have a legal right to apply for contact with their grandchildren.

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Equal Parenting Alliance: party web siteEqual Parenting Alliance: party Scottish web siteEqual Parenting Alliance party leader Ray Barry speaking on family law on Australian "Dads on the Air" radio program
Gender equality Political parties in the United Kingdom Family and parenting issues groups in the United Kingdom Political parties established in 2006 Fathers' rights organizations 2006 establishments in the United Kingdom