My vision for the future.by Jimmy Deuchars if elected to the Scottish Government.

The motto from Grandparents Apart UK where i have been voluntary manager of for 11 years is “Bringing Families Together” with the real best interests of the child at its core. I firmly stand by that.

Every person who is a member of a child’s family and registers an interest will be listened to. Family group conferences will consider the facts needs and wants to prevent a child going into care, foster or forced adopted which destroys a child’s self esteem and leaves them bitter and unmanageable which in turn often makes them non achievers and join gangs for that family feeling they were deprived of when they were young.
I want to encourage kinship care, more use of grandparents and extended family rather than care or adoption. We must establish firm stable happy roots if children are to grow up into good law abiding citizens that older people are not afraid to open their doors to.

The Glasgow social services say what is contained in the Charter for Grandchildren is already enshrined in law and is already practised by them. Thousands of grandparents/families all over the UK have contacted me with problems of being ignored by social services they can’t all be wrong. The complaints range from meetings that have not taken place, falsification and fabrication of reports and telling children their family doesn’t want them any more. We must examine this to find out why there are so many complaints and why the social services are feared by families rather than looked upon as a helpful service.

Not all grandparents are pensioners or older people but they have a lot in common regards family. Pensioners are the main focus of the All Scotland Pensioner Party and my joining them with families, grandparents and disabled has created a wider expanse. I am prepared to fight fearlessly to improve what I represent.

We need a spokesperson in parliament or we will forever get the run-around from the other parties promising this, that and the next thing that never materialise. “We gave you this they say” but what have they dropped or taken away? we are at the bottom of the priority list of every party and our plans include a redistribution of the national wealth for a fairer system.

They tell me the disabled laws are adequate and practised. We will look into that for I am a wheelchair user and have some horrible stories to tell you about that. Holidays are a nightmare in so much that I only go to caravans or like so I can recharge my wheelchair. If the facilities for disabled are there I want them tightened up and improved.