Petitions to Parliament
What is this all about ?
The UK Parliament has a place for petitions. Anyone can start a petition as long as they are a British citizen or UK resident.
If a petition gets 10,000 signatures, the government will respond.
If a petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.
Why sign a petition ?
Many petitions are unlikely to reach the 10,000 for the government to reply but they can show them that many people agree with what is being asked for - a kind of opinion poll if you will. This can influence future government decisions.
It only takes a minute to do, so good use of your time.
You should read the petitions, sign the ones that you agree with.
Petitions of interest
Below is a selection of petitions that might be of interest to those who care about children continuing to know both parents and their greater family following a divorce or separation.
Only those in the current Parliament are listed — ie since July 2024.
Visit this page occasionally to check for new petitions.
Sign byHover to get more information
2025
21 SeptSupport Men’s Mental Health: End the Stigma, Expand Support, and Save Lives
We think men’s mental health is in crisis. Suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50 in the UK, with over 75% of suicides being men. We believe stigma, cultural pressures, and lack of awareness stop some men from seeking help.
18 SeptGive parents who split up automatic 50/50 shared care of their children
Parents should get 50/50 shared care of their children without lengthy court hearings if no safeguarding issues & both families can provide care. Currently I feel parents have to fight for more or any care, using time & money better spent on the children, negatively affecting the parent & children.
14 SeptReview and reform Cafcass to address systemic failings and protect families
We think Cafcass fails children and families, showing a lack of balance, ignoring evidence, and enabling abusers. Section 7 reports may be inaccurate, professional assessments dismissed, and complaints ignored. Victims may face retraumatisation, while staff may make harmful decisions.
14 SeptImplement a ‘Statutory Dependents Pay’ for being off with your sick child
I’d like the government to implement a ‘Statutory Dependents Pay’ for parents who have to take time off work if their child is poorly. This could be like ‘sick pay’, but for parents who have to go off work with their sick child. I'd like it to be more consistent than sick pay and start from day 1.
12 Sept Fund Child Contact Centre visits for parents
Some individuals are ordered by the courts to attend a child contact centre for supervised or supported contact. We feel this should be funded by the Government.
3 Sept Give automatic equal benefits rights to separated parents who are co-parenting
It's 2025. Many couples do not stay in relationships like our grandparents or ancestors used to. If parents are amicable, we think that each parent should get equal rights to housing, benefits and support.
24 Aug Increase statutory paternity leave from two weeks to four weeks.
I want the statutory two weeks of paternity leave to be extended by two weeks, to four weeks.
24 Aug Review and reform child custody arrangements
Change the default child custody contact arrangements to be 50/50 shared contact and living. We feel that the current system leads to disputes and can leave children without access to one parent.
21 Aug Introduce maintenance payments from third parties that contribute to divorce.
We want the Government to introduce maintenance payments from third parties found liable for the breakdown of a couple's marriage and subsequent divorce to the blameless partner(s).
30 July Improve statutory paternity leave in the UK to better support families.
1. Extend statutory paternity leave to a minimum of six weeks.
2. Increase statutory paternity pay to full income replacement.
3. Make it a legal requirement for employers to offer flexible arrangements to employees taking paternity leave (e.g. taking in chunks) 27 July Amend Children Act 1989 to presume grandchild-grandparent contact Based on sound UK evidence, we ask to amend the Children Act 1989 to presume (unless there are safeguarding factors) that involvement of a grandparent in a grandchild's life will further their welfare. 24 July Give courts powers to order local authorities to fund family therapy Amend the children’s act 1989 to give courts the power to order local authorities to fund therapy for parents and children. We think this would make the legislation compatible with the ECHR Article 8 rights, and that the aim should be to reunite families. 20 July Equal Parental Leave for Fathers: Reform UK statutory Paternity leave Policies We want the Government to introduce equal statutory parental leave for fathers, matching statutory maternity leave duration. We think this would ensure fathers can fully support their partners during recovery, bond with their children, and promote equality in caregiving and workplace rights. 16 July Change the CMS to make it more transparent for paying parents We would like the government to implement an account based service in the CMS which would allow the paying parent to ensure their money has been spent on their child/children. 14 July Review the child maintenance service Review how the child maintenance service is run. We think the child maintenance service makes it very difficult for paying parents to work, due to high calculations and unexpected arrears. Some parents may refuse to go into direct pay because of concerns about the system. Some parents feel forced to stay on benefits, as they may not be able to afford to pay the arrears within 2 years, and think the monthly payments if they were to work would be unaffordable. 7 July Improve the family court system by abolishing Cafcass completely We think the current family law system is very biased unfair & very disrespectful 6 July Introduce juries in family courts We believe introducing a jury in family courts could enhance fairness and public confidence in the judicial process. 11 June Make it a legal offence for a parent to be absent from their child's life. We believe that parents should not be able to choose to be absent from the life of their child without clear and enforced legal consequences. I think that usually mothers, but sometimes fathers, can be left to raise the child on their own. 29 May Hold a public inquiry into the work of the Family Courts We think there are huge inefficiencies in the family court system. We think this leads to delays, incorrect appointments, wrong outcomes and lack of contact between parents and children. We believe hundreds of thousands of people are affected. 19 May Change rules so parents with 50/50 shared care don’t pay child maintenance I think we should stop forcing parents with 50/50 shared care to pay maintenance to the other parent. This rule needs changing.
2. Increase statutory paternity pay to full income replacement.
3. Make it a legal requirement for employers to offer flexible arrangements to employees taking paternity leave (e.g. taking in chunks) 27 July Amend Children Act 1989 to presume grandchild-grandparent contact Based on sound UK evidence, we ask to amend the Children Act 1989 to presume (unless there are safeguarding factors) that involvement of a grandparent in a grandchild's life will further their welfare. 24 July Give courts powers to order local authorities to fund family therapy Amend the children’s act 1989 to give courts the power to order local authorities to fund therapy for parents and children. We think this would make the legislation compatible with the ECHR Article 8 rights, and that the aim should be to reunite families. 20 July Equal Parental Leave for Fathers: Reform UK statutory Paternity leave Policies We want the Government to introduce equal statutory parental leave for fathers, matching statutory maternity leave duration. We think this would ensure fathers can fully support their partners during recovery, bond with their children, and promote equality in caregiving and workplace rights. 16 July Change the CMS to make it more transparent for paying parents We would like the government to implement an account based service in the CMS which would allow the paying parent to ensure their money has been spent on their child/children. 14 July Review the child maintenance service Review how the child maintenance service is run. We think the child maintenance service makes it very difficult for paying parents to work, due to high calculations and unexpected arrears. Some parents may refuse to go into direct pay because of concerns about the system. Some parents feel forced to stay on benefits, as they may not be able to afford to pay the arrears within 2 years, and think the monthly payments if they were to work would be unaffordable. 7 July Improve the family court system by abolishing Cafcass completely We think the current family law system is very biased unfair & very disrespectful 6 July Introduce juries in family courts We believe introducing a jury in family courts could enhance fairness and public confidence in the judicial process. 11 June Make it a legal offence for a parent to be absent from their child's life. We believe that parents should not be able to choose to be absent from the life of their child without clear and enforced legal consequences. I think that usually mothers, but sometimes fathers, can be left to raise the child on their own. 29 May Hold a public inquiry into the work of the Family Courts We think there are huge inefficiencies in the family court system. We think this leads to delays, incorrect appointments, wrong outcomes and lack of contact between parents and children. We believe hundreds of thousands of people are affected. 19 May Change rules so parents with 50/50 shared care don’t pay child maintenance I think we should stop forcing parents with 50/50 shared care to pay maintenance to the other parent. This rule needs changing.