General Guidance

Your own physical and mental wellbeing should be a priority.

The stress of exclusion can be armful, so try to focus on regular exercise like walking each day.

If possible, try to make gentle, low pressure contact with the adult child with perhaps a card or a short email, taking care not to demand access to your grandchild, and avoiding accusations and anger.

Professional mediation is a useful and possible path to consider before taking legal action.

Keep copies of all letters or messages which might be used for legal evidence later.

Under UK law, grandparents have no automatic rights to see their grandchildren. You CAN apply for permission from a court to apply for a Child Arrangement Order, but you will need a solicitor for this.

Do's

Be careful and selective when employing the services of a solicitor and taking legal advice.

Respect boundaries of all people involved.

Consider the lived experience and successes of grandparents who have shared their story on this site..

Don'ts

Criticize the parents in front of the grandchildren.

Apply excessive pressure on the parents for visits.

Give up hope.

UK Organisations which might be useful.

Grandparents Apart UK

Helps grandparents maintain or rebuild contact after separation or family conflict
Offers advice, peer support, and guidance on resolving disputes without court where possible (grandparentsapart.co.uk)

The Grandparents' Association

Long-established UK charity focused on keeping grandparents connected to grandchildren
Provides advice, support, and advocacy around family breakdown and estrangement (Wikipedia)

Grandchildren First

Maintains a nationwide directory of support groups for alienated grandparents
Offers peer-led emotional support and local meetups (Grandchildren First

Bristol Grandparents Support Group

Campaigning and peer-support group
Focuses on awareness, emotional support, and shared experiences of estrangement (The Bristol Grandparents Support Group)

Both Parents Matter

Runs a grandparents support group (monthly meetings)
Offers a safe space to talk through family court issues and separation (Both Parents Matter)

Peer & local support networks

These are often volunteer-led but very valuable:

Berkshire Grandparent Support Group
Oxfordshire Grandparent Support Group
Northumberland Grandparent Support Group
Worcestershire Grandparent Support Group
Cymru (Wales) Grandparent Support Group
Sutton & Lichfield Alienated Grandparents Group

👉 Many of these are listed via Grandchildren First and offer:

Monthly meetings (in-person or Zoom)
WhatsApp / phone support
Shared lived experience support (Grandchildren First)

Legal advice & rights support

(Useful if you’re considering court or mediation)

Grandparents Legal Centre

Specialist advice on contact rights and court options
Helps you understand what steps you can take

The Law Firm Group

Offers guidance on grandparents’ rights and family law

📌 Important context:

In the UK, grandparents don’t automatically have legal rights to contact
But courts can grant contact if it’s in the child’s best interests (thelawfirm.group)

General family & emotional support

Family Lives

Provides helplines and guidance
Links to multiple grandparent support resources (Coram Family Lives)

Kinship

Especially useful if you’re caring (or may care) for grandchildren

Age UK

Broader support (wellbeing, isolation, finances), helpful alongside estrangement.

👍 How to choose the right help

Emotional support / talking to others → local groups or Grandparents Apart UK
Understanding your rights → legal centres or solicitors
Ongoing isolation or distress → Family Lives / Age UK
Caring for grandchildren → Kinship

This is a BRAND NEW website! So, be one of the first few grandparents to share their story with millions of excluded & alienated grandparents from across the world..