FRUSTRATED fathers campaigning for better access to their children have brought their petition to the streets of York.

Dads Against Double Standards (Dads) was set up to raise awareness of alienation from parents and grandparents.

The group, which was set up on Facebook, has more than 7,000 members and offers help and support to fathers fighting for better access to their children after a divorce or separation.

Their goal is to get 100,000 signatures in support of a petition calling for parental alienation to be recognised as a crime.

The 100,000 target would then mean MPs must debate the issue in the House of Commons.

Carl Schofield, formerly of York, is one of the group’s organisers.

He was one of a small group who took to the streets of York on Saturday to help spread his message and collect as many signatures as possible.

Mr Schofield said: “This group has come about by people all over the country saying ‘enough is enough’.

“When a child is alienated it is not just a dad they miss out on, it is grandparents, aunties and uncles.

“What we are trying to do is make parental alienation a crime because it is not just the child who suffers, it is everyone else too.

“The main focus of the group is support because when people join us, nine times out of ten they are on the ceiling and don’t know what to do.

“We don’t charge anything to join and our online support is on Facebook 24/7.

“We do everything from helping people fill in a form to telling them what to do when they get to court.”

Mr Schofield, who has a son, daughter, stepson and stepdaughter, said that he is speaking from experience after having gone through a situation himself ten years ago when he was unable to see his son.

He admits to something he will “regret for the rest of his life” after telling his ex-partner he was going to kill her when he found out she was pregnant to his best friend.

He said: “I now have a shared residence after going through the courts and being arrested under the Mental Health Act, but it has taken ten years to get there.

“This has got to be about the kids because when they are coming from broken homes they are unlikely to do well at school.”

To join the group and sign the petition go to www.facebook.com and search for Dads Against Double Standards.