Family Heartbreak System Down

With special guests:

• Michael Jeffries
• Angelo Lobo and
• Chris Amos.

Before getting down to the serious business, this week Dads on the Air starts off with an interview with Chris Amos, the figure behind taking DOTA into the 21st century by setting up a special Facebook group. For those older parents unfamiliar with the technology of social networking sites, so popular amongst many of our listeners’ teenage children, he explains how it all works and how to get involved. DOTA on Facebook has only been running for a couple of weeks and already has more than 100 members. Get involved. Get linked with other people with similar interests. Find out that you are most definitely not alone.

Find out more by registering at http://www.facebook.com and searching for Dads on the Air.

The chaos that characterises family law, child support and child protection is in itself a complete failure of democracy. The voices of the people have been ignored while a vast bureaucracy and legal system prey on broken families, the vast majority of the time making a difficult situation worse for both parents and children alike. Everyone knows how corrupt the system is, the public and lawyers alike. No one, certainly not our politicians, are prepared to step in and fix our shockingly broken and dysfunctional system.

This week we are honoured to have two American activists on our show. First up we have Michael Jeffries, author of the new book A Family’s Heartbreak: a Parent’s Introduction to Parental Alienation. The book arose from the author’s personal experience and details all the tricks and sick behaviour that separating parents use against each other, poisoning the minds of their children against the other parent. That such behaviour is enormously damaging to the children involved and ultimately destructive to both the perpetrator and the targeted parent should be obvious to anyone. Yet there are no public messages out there discouraging parents from this sick and abusive behaviour. While women most often attempt to poison their kids minds against their fathers during custody disputes, men can be equally guilty.

A Family’s Heartbreak: a Parent’s Introduction to Parental Alienation is the true story of Mike Jeffries’ struggle to maintain a normal, loving relationship with his young son in the face of overwhelming odds. From the emotionally devastating actions of the child’s other parent, to a court system and mental health community ill-equipped to deal with a destructive family dynamic, A Family’s Heartbreak: a Parent’s Introduction to Parental Alienation is both an education about parental alienation and an eye opening experience for parents who don’t believe this could happen to them.

You can find out more at: http://www.afamilysheartbreak.com.

“Parental alienation is when one parent damages, and in some cases destroys, a child’s normal relationship with the child’s other parent,” explains Michael Jeffries, the book’s author. “Our book will help parents dealing with this very destructive family dynamic and educate legal and mental health professionals searching for ways to prevent these situations.” Another goal of the book, according to Jeffries, is to raise the visibility of an issue that is affecting millions of parents, children and extended family members every year. “Parental alienation isn’t recognized in the courts as often as it should be,” he explains. “We must get judges to recognise alienation and not just dismiss the problem as two angry, bitter litigants who, given enough time, we’ll get over their anger and go home.”

We close the show talking with Angelo Lobo, Director and Producer of a new documentary on the shocking US Family Law and Child Support System called SUPPORT? System Down.

The documentary is nearing completion after four years of work.

SUPPORT? System Down explores the fundamental flaws in America’s Family Courts regarding the Divorce and Child Support System. The film explores the problems through over 38 interviews with both custodial and non-custodial parents and the attorneys, judges and county employees on both sides of the paradigm.

SUPPORT? System Down was made to be educational and provocative in order to spark a call to action to bring about much-needed reform in the family courts. Children should not have to suffer due to an ineffectual and corrupt legal system!

Trailers from the documentary are now available online.

You can find out more at:

http://www.supportthemovie.com.

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