On May 24th, the Essex Law School hosted the launch of the edited collection Grandparents and the Law: Rights and Relationships. The book was co-edited by Dr. Samantha Davey (Essex Law School) and Dr. Jaime Lindsey (University of Reading, School of Law), and was published in May 2023 by Bloomsbury/ Hart Publishing.

What makes this book unique?

The book analyses the crucial role grandparents play as caregivers and spotlights through academic and practitioner contributions their relative absence within the English and Welsh legal frameworks.

The book is the first of its kind, as there is no edited collection exploring the legal and practical relationships between grandparents and grandchildren.

The book goes, however, beyond family law and draws on a wider range of legal and socio-cultural contexts to enhance our understanding of the role of grandparents in the law. It particularly explores issues of rights and relationships between grandparents, their families, and the law, including how the protection of grandparents’ rights can be balanced with parental rights and children’s welfare.

What happened at the event?

The book launch was a momentous occasion, brimming with scholarly enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity. Esteemed professionals gathered to celebrate the culmination of years of research and dedication.

The co-editors, Dr. Davey and Dr. Lindsey, took centre stage at the start, sharing insights into the book’s significance and offering a glimpse into the novel ideas contained within its pages.

An engaging and spirited debate (chaired by Professor Karen Hulme) ensued, fuelling the exchange of knowledge and fostering new collaborations. Professor Maurice Sunkin (Co-Director of the Essex Constitutional and Administrative Justice Initiative) contributed as an internal speaker, while Professor Felicity Kaganas (Brunel University) and Charlotte Knappett (partner at Fisher, Jones and Greenwood, a local solicitor’s firm) joined as external speakers – all praising the book.

Notably, Prof. Sunkin drew attention to inter-generational issues and how different events globally have affected the importance of grandparent/grandchild relationships.

Charlotte Knappett spoke about her experiences of working with grandparents as kinship carers seeking SGOs, etc.

Prof. Kaganas, an eminent expert in the fields of family and child law, discussed the issue of whether there should be a presumption in favour of grandparent contact. She agreed with most of the authors that there should not be such an emphasis.

Several of the contributing authors attended the event too: Sneha Shrestha, a barrister, as well as Essex Law School academics Dr. Laure Sauve, Dr. Sahar Maranlou and Liz Fisher-Frank. Professor Joan Hunt (School of Law & Politics, Cardiff University) as well as Jo Harwood (Essex Law School) and Dr Charlotte Bendall (Birmingham Law School) joined virtually.

Overall, the event fostered spirited discussions, highlighting the significance of this edited collection and its power to shape our understanding of the critical role grandparents play in our legal system. The book found its place on our Law School’s shelves, destined to shape academic discourse and inspire future generations in their pursuit of knowledge.

What’s next?

Building on their work on mediation within one of the collection chapters, Dr. Charlotte Bendall and Dr. Samantha Davey have been awarded a Research Activities Fund from the Society of Legal Scholars to pursue this research further.

The award will support a joint project undertaken by Dr. Davey and Dr. Bendall (Birmingham Law School), who worked together one of the chapters in the collection, focusing on mediation as a potential method of alternative dispute resolution for disempowered groups, affected by family fragmentation, such as grandparents.

The research grant will enable the co-authors to conduct empirical research on this matter. They are currently working with several non-governmental organisations, mediators, and legal practitioners with an interest in this area.

Dr. Davey has been working with Dr. Bendall and Dr. Rehana Parveen more generally on supporting families. To find out more about their work and collaborative network, see the Family Law Reform Now initiative here.