A partnership between Dads House and Cansford Laboratories has been further strengthened as the drug and alcohol testing laboratory becomes sponsor of the charity’s free family law clinics.
Amidst a cost-of-living crisis, the demand for the important work charity Dads House provides for families is also on the increase, which has spurred Cansford Laboratories to provide additional support for its family law clinics. Cansford has partnered with Dads House for seven years, providing drug and alcohol testing to help parents gain employment or to support visiting arrangements.
Led by experienced lawyers, assisted by barristers from Coram Chambers, the Dads House Family Law clinics help parents and ensure children remain the priority during and after divorce, separation, or bereavement. Founded in 2008 by Billy McGranaghan, Dads House started with regular football games and cooking classes to encourage parents to meet informally. It began offering its free, confidential legal advice later in its first year and now receives approximately 4,500 enquires and provides around 3,200 hours inside and out of the clinics each year.
Says Dads House founder, Billy McGranaghan: “We rely on generous donations, such as this, and the extremely important time contribution from all our volunteers, to ensure we can continue to provide a high level of support.
“We are grateful for Cansford Lab’s donation and for the pro bono time which our incredible family lawyers and barristers give to assist those in need.
“We’d also struggle to continue without our law students who give their time to assist the legal team. This exposes them to real-life situations and emotions and to see first-hand how our legal professionals deal with situations, which is invaluable learning for them.”
Simon Bruce is one of the experienced family lawyers who provides pro bono work at Dads House. He says: “I started working with Dads House at the beginning of the pandemic, sitting at a table in West London, waiting for people to call in. “
“Numbers have increased significantly since then and having face to face contact through the clinics has become a lifeline for some. We see clients on an ongoing basis, through to the end of their case, providing a level playing field for clients who are in cases with people who may have Legal Aid or legal representation.”
“I’m extremely proud of the work we do in our team, and support from organisations like Cansford Labs will ensure we continue to help many more people.”
Says Alex Swann, Sales and Marketing Director at Cansford Laboratories: “Dads House’s clinics have become increasingly important, especially at a time when rising living costs are squeezing household finances.”
“We will continue to support the hugely important pro bono work and the charity as much as we can, knowing that it is dedicated to giving top level professional legal advice that is centred around the wellbeing of children and parents.”