This guide has been written to support and explain, in simple terms, the rationale for each part of the Parents Charter.

We will start by looking at the various headings and then we will look at the content in more detail.

The Parents Charter is broken into sections, within which we have grouped together related information and statements.

We start with Definitions because we feel it is important for all readers and applicants to know what we mean when we use certain words, or groups of words.

After we have determined how we intend to use certain words we have listed the Contents of the Parents Charter document. Having a contents list on the front page serves two useful purposes;

1 It lets you know what to expect
2 It lets you see, easily, whether you have the whole document

Contents also gives us an indication of how we have grouped the ideals of the Parents Charter.

Parental Responsibility is where we explore, in as few words as we felt we could, the parent’s side of this agreement.

Parental rights / choices outlines what we believe parents have a right to expect in return for taking their parental responsibility seriously

Parental Concerns is where we look at the expectations of parents when, and if, relationships between parents and organisations – of any type – break down.

As with any document, where agreement is being sought, there are some important matters that have to be addressed. In the section Some Legal Considerations we have described some of the most pressing issues that are designed to look after the interests of parents, organisations and The Parent Organisation Ltd.

Finally, in Application details we ask for details of parents or organisations that wish to sign up to the Parents Charter and seek your agreement for The Parent Organisation Ltd to contact you.

DEFINITIONS

The first thing we have done is to limit the definitions so that they are only as used in this Parents Charter. This is important because you may have occasions when you look at important documents that have been produced by other organisations including schools, welfare organisations or other companies who may have a different set of definitions.

We have attempted to show that by the term Parent we mean any person who is involved with a child in a parental capacity. We have taken care to include a parent who may not share the same home. Where law has been passed, preventing a child and parent from being allowed access to one another, this Parents Charter cannot undo that legal position.

Similarly, the term Child is defined by many and the law allows that a young person attains personal rights and privileges at various ages. Thus voting rights, currently, are granted at age 18, the right to choose which parent they would prefer to live with from 14. Many other ‘opportunities’ present themselves at different birthdays as our young grow through this busy four year period.

Where the law states yes, or no, to the rights of the young person, signing up to the Parents Charter cannot, of itself, reverse the law.

Where the Parents Charter talks of Rights it must be acknowledged that any rights that an individual has are granted by society and are only available by reference to any law that may apply. We have, therefore, determined that when the term Right is used within the Parents Charter, the words ‘legal privilege’ could be substituted.

We have attempted to capture all forms of agency, be they governmental, charitable, profit or not for profit companies, service providers, retailers or enforcement into just one word, for the purposes of the Parents Charter. That word is Organisation.

We are now going to look at each of the headings, as shown in the list of Contents in turn. The first thing we need to consider is the numbering.

In Contents each section of the Parents Charter is numbered 1 through 5, and those contents listed as items 1, 2 and 3 have their sentences numbered. In some cases a combination of numbers and letters have been used.

This numbering makes it much easier for cross referencing. For example; if somebody were to suggest that a parent was failing in their responsibilities as a parent, they may say that they were failing in their responsibilities as defined in the Parents Charter section 1.1.

Another example would be where a parent might wish to protest that they had done all they could and that no outside agency had ever offered them help or guidance when, in fact, help or guidance might have been all that was needed. They might suggest that they had been let down under reference to the Parents Charter section 1.6.2a.

Numbering also helps to keep the amount of words used in the Parents Charter to a minimum in that we have been able to repeat a whole paragraph, in 2.3 by referring to the corresponding item in 2.2.

1 PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

1.1 Who else but a parent is going to be responsible for their children? Parents are the model upon which very young children build their standards for later in their lives. It really is a case of see and do. Unfortunately it very often is not a case of do as they are told. It is usually the skill of copying that is the teacher. Thus parents set the standards, from a very early age, with outside influences being built into this model as the child grows and mixes with others. We felt it appropriate to give parents the opportunity to sign up to acknowledge this social, moral and physical responsibility.
1.2 Similarly, we would expect that a parent would always put their child first when it came to matters of their wellbeing. That is not to say that ‘what the child wants the child gets’, it is about safety, security, the child’s needs for nurture, support, food, clothing, encouragement, love, care and attention. This can be tough on some parents who may feel that their own lives are, in some way put on hold, while their children are growing.
1.3 Parents are able to provide an education that meets statutory requirements without, necessarily attending a school. However, these exceptional provisions are thoroughly vetted and constantly monitored to ensure that the child has a well rounded education. Most parents would find meeting those standards very challenging. We have attempted to embrace both the usual and less usual provisioning of education, here, in the Parents Charter.
1.4 Legislation, increasingly, is being focused on the parent, to ensure that young people live lawfully. This ties in with 1.1 and 1.3 particularly, as well as giving us cause to consider 1.2. For example, is a parent who sends their child out of the house to play, and while the child plays takes a few moments to watch a favourite TV programme, really putting the child’s physical, social and moral welfare above and beyond their own wants and needs? In many cases the answer would be yes because of the degree of supervision and the benefit of the child getting some fresh air and excercise but, would the same hold true if it were a young child and later in the evening and getting dark? Does the parent know what, and with whom, the child is doing?
1.5 In addition to behaving lawfully, is the child being taught consideration for others? We have stated here ‘other people’ but this consideration for other people also includes consideration for the properties of other people, whether they be privately, or community, owned.
1.6 Discipline. Not a posh word for bullying. If we refer to the Oxford Compact English Dictionary, discipline is listed as follows; 1a control or order exercised over people or animals; 1b the system of rules used to maintain this control; 1c the behaviour of groups subjected to these rules; 2 mental moral or physical training; 3 a branch of instruction or learning; 4 punishment.
1.6.1 Here we are reinforcing the point, just made by reference to the Oxford Compact English Dictionary. Additionally we make the point that discipline is about the child and for the child. If all else has failed and punishment is deemed the appropriate course of action then that punishment is for the child’s benefit not for the benefit of the parent.
1.6.2 Builds on the situation by looking at two additional considerations:-
1.6.2a If the parent has tried every method of influence known to them they should expect assistance from agencies that can bring expertise to their aid.
1.6.2b Inappropriate interventions would be the untimely or ill conceived application of punitive measures, applied to parents, in circumstances where it is clear that a parent IS doing everything, within their ability, to exercise their parental responsibility. We maintain that before such actions are applied, there has to be comprehensive evidence that 1.6.2a has been fully explored and/or that there is clear evidence that the parent, concerned, is not taking parental responsibility for their child.

2 PARENTAL RIGHTS / CHOICES

2.1 Here we are stating that parents should be allowed to be parents. It is a basic requirement that parents be ‘allowed to get on with parenting’ without constantly being told what to do and how to do it. We are also linking this right to the parental responsibilities explored in section 1.
2.2 Parents will be allowed to make choices on behalf of their children. This can only apply until law, stating otherwise, takes precedence. Examples of where law might take precedence include; a court order, or similar, preventing parental contact; rights acquired by the child as they reach certain ages; other legal procedures perhaps involving incarceration.
2.3 There are occasions where parents are denied the opportunity to fulfil their parental responsibilities as in 1, and where law is not the reason for the obstruction. In such cases, whether they be ‘company policy’ or ‘procedural’ rather than legislated, parents have a right to expect that the obstruction be eliminated as a matter of priority. This may also have some influence on 2.2
2.4 Where law is the limiting factor and a parent feels that they are unable to exercise their parental responsibilities as in 1 above or where the law is making it difficult to apply 2.1 or 2.2 then we are sorry but without a change in the law the parent will be expected to comply with the Parents Charter within the boundaries as set by law.
2.5 Whilst ever the child is classed as a child, then, unless the child has acquired their own legal right on a matter, the parent will need to have access to all information about their child if they are to be expected to take their responsibilities seriously and to be able to exercise their parental rights appropriately.

3 PARENTAL CONCERNS

3.1 It doesn’t always happen that relationships between parents and organisations go smoothly when it comes to parenting issues. It is for this reason that we have said that the right of the parent will prevail. If the parent is prevented from acting as a responsible parent as outlined within this charter then it follows that the other party must be accepting parental responsibility on the disputed point. It is worth noting that it is a requirement of the Parents Charter that parental responsibilities and parental rights be exercised within the law. It is for this reason that we have introduced a procedure, that organisations can sign up to, that will assist where a dispute does arise.
3.2 This section is allowing two main things. 1, the parent can support, champion, lobby and challenge on behalf of their children including rights of information about their child and to make decisions on behalf of their child and, 2, that where the child reaches an age whereby certain rights pass to the child then being signatory to the Parents Charter cannot, of itself, supersede that law.
3.3 Here we lay out the preferred approach that we are asking organisations to support, should they find themselves in receipt of a complaint from a parent. Please note, the Parents Charter can only apply where a complaint or issue arises that directly affects your ability to carry out your parental responsibilities or where your parental rights / choices are affected. For example, it may be that you, as a parent, are being prevented from carrying out your role as a parent by reference to one of the numbered paragraphs contained within the Parents Charter. The following is how we expect you to be treated.
3.3.1 We accept that in most cases an immediate solution may be possible. Where an immediate solution has not been possible we expect your complaint to be acknowledged within seven days. This may mean that you get nothing more than confirmation that your complaint has been received, whether it be a telephoned – written – or an ‘in person’ complaint. We expect that this acknowledgement be in writing and on the organisation’s formal paperwork with contact details included. We would expect the organisation’s letter to explain how the matter was/is to be resolved.
3.3.2 If the matter cannot be resolved within the seven days, we would expect the organisation to give a clear explanation of how the matter will be dealt with and to explain that if the matter is not resolved within 28 days, then another letter will be sent.
3.3.3 If, after 28 days the matter has not been resolved, then the organisation must include, within their letter, details of other help or professional assistance that is available, to the parent, to resolve the matter. We suggest this in 3.3.3b. We also suggest the organisation may wish to draw up a plan of action with you, the parent, that might take longer than the 28 day limit set down within the Parents Charter. We do this in 3.3.3a. It should be noted that where organisations agree to participate in procedures of this type, they have high expectations that the person complaining will work with them to resolve any difficulties they may be experiencing and to resolve the complaint.

4 SOME LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

There are several important issues that we have identified in this section. These issues affect the Parents’ Charter but are not part of the Parents Charter. For this reason we have produced them in a different format from the rest of the Parents Charter document.

Firstly, there is no point in a parent or organisation signing to say that they wish to participate in this Parents Charter unless they are also happy to do and / or recognise / and accept in principle the spirit of the Parents Charter.

Similarly, we have to make room for any legislative changes that may be introduced from time to time. Where changes in the law affect the conditions that have been signed to, within the Parents Charter, we will inform you of those changes and make an adjustment to the Parents Charter – if necessary. (If you have prevented us making contact with you directly, it may be necessary for you to check the website at www.theparentorganisation.com periodically to keep yourself up to date.

The Parents Charter is a friendly agreement between the organisations and parents who choose to sign up to it. At best it can be described as a voluntary code of ‘best practice’. Parents and organisations that sign this agreement do so because they want to and because they agree with what is being said here.

Organisations may wish to publicise their support for the Parents Charter and we will enter into separate discussions with any organisation who wishes to take this action.

In preparing, producing and promoting The Parents Charter, The Parent Organisation Ltd is acting as a facilitator between parents and organisations who wish to participate. The concept of The Parents Charter and any associated rights are the property of The Parent Organisation Ltd but that does not mean that The Parent Organisation Ltd – its directors or any staff can be held liable for damages resulting from participation in the Parents Charter. This incudes removal from the Parents Charter database, website and notification that an organisation has been removed from the Parents Charter.

We have to notify members of the withdrawal or removal of organisations from the Parents Charter because of the use of our registered styles, logos and images. It would be unfortunate if a member was mislead into thinking that an organisation was a Parent Charter member if, in-fact, the organisation has been removed from membership either by choice or non-compliance with what is being promoted as best practice.

In the interests of organisations who agree to associate themselves with the Parents Charter, their names and details will be made available on our website at www.theparentorganisation.com This will allow any visitor to the website to see a list of participating organisations. Parents will NOT be identified in this way. The Parent Organisation Ltd is registered with the Information Commission and details about the people who sign up to the Parents Charter will be managed strictly in accordance with the rules of Data Protection.

When dealing with a complaint, made by a member parent, a member organisation may wish to confirm that a specific parent is also a member. If this specific request is made, by a member organisation and in writing, The Parent Organisation Ltd will limit their reply to confirm or deny that parent’s membership as appropriate.

If we wish to contact you directly, by e-mail, by telephone or by letter, we have to have your permission to do so. We also have to give you the chance to change your mind over whether we can make contact with you, in the future. Initially we invite you to place your mark – a tick or a cross or a circle – some indicator in a box on the Parents Charter document, near to where you sign.

The reason we ask to be able to contact you, is that we may be seeking opinion and ask for your views, we may wish to inform you of changes to the Parents Charter, we may wish to let you know of some product or service that The Parent Organisation Ltd is introducing, we may wish to include you in some new opportunity introduced by The Parent Organisation Ltd.

If you decide that you would rather not have us contact you directly, we will respect your wishes completely. We also apologise, in advance, should any generic advertising come to you after you have said that we cannot reach you personally. Generic advertising is not targeted at specific individuals, as identified by a contact list, but is likely to be targeted at groups of people by location – such as postcode profiling or reference to external advertising contact criteria. Good examples of generic advertising would be leaflets and flyers, notice boards, newspapers, TV, radio and ‘dear occupier’ type envelopes.

5 APPLICATION DETAILS

The little padlock symbol is a design, introduced by the Information Commissioner, to let you know that information given by you will be included in our database.

Your signature and the printing of your details here are how you show your intent to uphold the spirit of the Parents Charter.

If you represent an organisation then we ask that you tell us what role you have within the organisation, as well as the name of the organisation.

Whether you are a parent or an organisation, we would like to have contact details so that we can write to you or e-mail you. We have not asked for your telephone number but you are free to include it if you wish.

There is no fee to you, as a parent or an organisation, for signing and sending to The Parent Organisation Ltd (other than postage), the final page of the Parents Charter for registration purposes.

Parents may wish to receive a personalised certificate acknowledging the fact that you have chosen to sign up to the principles of the Parents Charter.

If you wish to receive a certificate, then we will be happy to provide one in a stiffened envelope posted to the address you have given us. Unfortunately this will involve additional costs which we must pass on to you. We ask that you send a cheque for £8.50 made payable to The Parent Organisation Ltd, to cover the cost of our charges in preparing and sending this certificate to you.

Remember, as a free service, organisations are also able to register their desire to enter into the spirit of the Parents Charter, and to adhere to the principles we support.

We will be happy to discuss the use of our logo and any promotions regarding the organisation’s membership, including, but not limited to, certificates, posters, letter styles and images, all under the terms of licence agreements.

Thank you for reading this far.

If you haven’t already, please print your copy of the Parents Charter by selecting the ‘print form’ option in the Parents Charter pages on www.theparentorganisation.com website. Sign it and post the final page to the address on the form.

Parent Charter Application
The Parent Organisation Ltd
P.O.Box 3697
Sheffield
S36 7WY

Remember, application and registration is free to parents and to organisations.

Parents, include a cheque for £8.50 only if you wish to receive a personalised certificate acknowledging your participation in the Parents Charter.

Organisations, contact us to discuss licence agreements for use of images logo etc.

Thank you for helping us to make a difference.

The Parent Organisation Ltd is a limited company based in South Yorkshire started and run according to the following mission statement: Seeking without bias or indoctrination to provide parents with the knowledge, guidance and support they need to make informed choices about the way they raise their children, “in the belief that better parents create better parents”. ™

The registered offices are located at

1 Scout Dyke Reservoir
Huddersfield Road
Penistone
Sheffield
S36 7EZ

Registered in England & Wales number 04403844.
VAT number 8804 1903 56