Tandem Parachute Jump Update - July 1st 2016

A date has now been set for the Tandem Parachute Jump in support of Reunite International Child Abduction Centre charity.

Friday 1st JULY 2016

Add this to your diary

https://www.facebook.com/events/219674591705765/

If you would like to participate with Steve for this event, please let us know as soon as possible so we can send you details.. There are still a few places left..

1) Contact us on onedaycloser.reunite@gmail.com and provide:

• Name
• Age
• Height
• Weight
• Type of Jump (Jump only, Jump and Photos, Jump, Photos & Video)
• Contact details (address, telephone, email)

2) Once confirmed, we would need a €50 non-refundable deposit

3) We ask that you create a JustGiving page and join the One Day Closer team https://www.justgiving.com/teams/reunite-spain

So many people have told us that it's something they've always wanted to do.. Now here is your chance..

One Day Closer - Villamartin / Reunite

Thank you all that have taken the time to press "Like" on our facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Reunite.OneDayCloser/) and on the Reunite International Child Abduction Centre facebook page .

We also appreciate all who supported Steve on Walk Across Borders as well as all of the events/ventures that we have arranged in the past, We will be arranging many more in the future..

We are hoping to arrange another football tournament in April... followed by a tandem parachute jump in June https://www.justgiving.com/reunite-skydive/

The team at Reunite International Child Abduction Centre do some amazing work in providing advice for families affected by parental child abduction and also raising awareness of the issues globally.

In 2014, there were over 17,000 calls through their advice line. This highlights the extent of the problem.

The team also provide a mediation service and are also aiming to provide a counselling service in the near future

For those of you who fear that your child may be at risk of international parental child abduction or if your child has been taken abroad without consent or if your family is being retained from your child across international borders, then please contact Reunite on 0044 (0)116 2556 234 or drop into the One Day Closer office in Villamartin Plaza where we can provide useful contact information for you.

You can also call the Reunite advice line from the office 

One Day Closer (966 18 44 69).
onedaycloser.reunite@gmail.com

Murder-suicide surviving daughter: "The Family Court completely failed us"

Today I read an article on the kidspot website that really hit my heart strings. It was a statement from a young lady called Grace Cuzens who is a surviving daughter in a very tragic case.

"Grace Cuzens was just 13 years old when her mother murdered her two sisters before taking her own life. Now 17, she has spoken out about her traumatic childhood and the Family Court’s place in it." (Kidspot)

 

http://www.kidspot.com.au/parenting/real-life/in-the-news/murder-suicide-surviving-daughter-the-family-court-completely-failed-us

Were there any lessons learned from this case? I really hope that her courageous message helps to raise awareness as much as possible the devastating impact of the family court process and helps to prompt changes in a system that seems to fail so many families.

In her statement she mentioned,..."I wish someone had explained to us why we never saw dad, explained that he did love us and wanted to see us but we never got that. We were only ever told what mum wanted us to think of him and it was never positive and never unbiased. . In writing this I wanted to encompass the positive and negative elements of the Family Court but I have come to the realisation that there was no positive for me. Only trauma and suffering. Grace Cuzens 3.2.16"

Please take a few minutes out of your day to read her full statement here

Bless you Grace

Reunite International Child Abduction Centre Website and Forum

Reunite International Parental Child Abduction Centre are currently looking to make their website more intuitive and easy to navigate for affected families as well as legal professionals etc..

The website as is stands, does provide some very useful information. However, for a parent / family to find exactly what they are looking for to reunite with their child, or better still, to prevent an abduction, it seems very complex to find the relevant information between the jargon.

http://www.reunite.org




If you have any suggestions on how the website can be improved, contact them directly on reunite@dircon.co.uk or discuss on their forum page http://www.reunite.org/forum.asp

I would welcome a more intuitive and interactive front page where parents can provide details of their circumstances and the most relevant information and contact details is presented to them. The forum at the moment is fairly well hidden in a submenu which is a shame because this can be a very useful resource to connect parents together. Obviously, this needs to be monitored as it is an extremely emotional topic and is public.

Another important point in the new website is to ensure that it is regularly maintained with news and events etc. Reunite do some amazing work worldwide in raising awareness and encouraging change in the system where it is needed but much of this work is not reported. I believe that it should be whilst also understanding that some of the work might prompt debate.

It would be useful to maintain a catalog of reference material including research papers, presentations, redacted case files etc but this should be in a seperate reference section.

If there was availability to register to the site, it could also provide a mailing list for the possible newsletters and event updates etc

Well done Reunite for once again doing everything they can given the resources they have to provide as much support as possible to families affected by Parental Child Abduction. In the 6 years I have required their help and support, they have been wonderful.

They are not miracle workers and they are having to work with a system that needs much improvement but they keep on striving to provide this support and encourage change where required.

The work of Reunite International is greatly appreciated