Local Branch Meetings

We organise meetings all over the country for parents to meet and talk with others who are in a similar situation. Going to meetings and speaking to our experienced volunteers is especially useful if you are going through a court process, as many of our members choose to represent themselves with the support of other FNF members.

Meetings are run by FNF volunteers, some branches may invite outside helpers who offer advice, such as solicitors, McKenzie Friends or Cafcass/Social Workers who offer their time free of charge. Meetings can also be partly social occasions where you can chat and share experiences.

FNF meetings welcome all parents, grandparents, extended family and friends who may attend with, or on behalf, of a parent who needs help. You don't need to be a member to come to a meeting, but we hope you will become a member and help us to continue our essential work, or make a donation to support your local meeting.

If there are no meetings in your area, you may consider starting one yourself with FNF support. To find out more click here, please contact admin@fnf.org.uk . To find out about the other services available to you as a member, see Join Us

Below is our FNF GOOGLE MAP which shows meeting locations, times, contact details and additional information about speakers etc.

For details of branches in Wales, please see the FNF BPM Cymru website.

View FNF Google Map on a larger scale.

Upcoming Meetings

England and Northern Ireland

If solicitors or McKenzie Friends attend our meetings, their presence should not be taken as an endorsement or recommendation of their services by FNF.

Any support or guidance provided to visitors at our meetings is for them to consider and evaluate for themselves, whether provided by professionals or others at the meeting.

Confidentiality - Family Court proceedings are subject to tough legal restrictions by the court - For more details see Practice Direction 12G.

All meetings take place under the Chatham House Rule. This states:
When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.

Listings followed by ' * ' are branches; these groups have a formal committee and constitution. Those without ' * ' are meetings with no formal committee or constitution. Branches and meetings both offer support and guidance to parents, grandparents and wider family. All are welcome!

We wish we had more branches to offer you, but please only contact branches nearest you as our branch volunteers are unable to cover all parts of the country.
Please do not call our branches to ask for help. You should contact our Helpline for help, or visit our branch on the published meetings date.  Branch officers are volunteers and cannot provide help over the phone. 
Thank you for understanding.

Occasionally events can result in a meeting being cancelled without us being informed in time. So we do recommend that you check with a branch or group beforehand that a meeting is taking place.

We appreciate your feedback. Let us know what you experienced at our Branch meetings - whether good or bad, we'd like to know!     admin@fnf.org.uk

Scotland

Wales

For details of branches in Wales, please see the FNF BPM Cymru website, or call 08456 004446.

Please note that sometimes local meetings scheduled for bank holidays will not take place or be postponed to another date due to closures of premises, etc. Many meetings do not take place in July and August.

Those intending to visit meetings at such times should call the contact number(s) listed for the individual branch before travelling.

Important - The FNF Branch Officers organising FNF meetings cannot charge for support or advice given at the meeting and on the meeting premises. However there may be solicitors and/or McKenzie Friends present who may wish to provide visitors with services outside the meeting. The organiser has the responsibility to ensure that no business is solicited by anyone during meetings. FNF does not recommend the services of such providers who may be present although we maintain a McKenzie Friends Listing. who have undertaken to abide by the FNF McKenzie Friend Charter Please note that any such providers provide their services entirely independently of FNF and it is the responsibility of any prospective service user to ensure that the provider has the qualifications and experience necessary to meet their needs. Providers should always provide users with full service and fee information before entering into any commitments to provide services. FNF generally advises against paying in advance for any services.