Draft agreement regarding Esme Frith's passport

+ + Draft agreement regarding Esme Frith's passport + Alison Burnley + Henry S. Thompson + 18 Dec 2010 + + +

+ Background +

Ola Uduku and Alan Frith contacted SE Scotland Area Meeting Elders with a +request that Elders hold their daughter Esme's passport, and manage its use by +one or the other parent.

After some discussion, Elders agreed to try to find a basis on which this +could be arranged, and asked Alison Burnley and Henry S. Thompson to meet with +Alan and Ola and draw up a mutually agreeable set of guidelines which would +enable such a scheme to go ahead. We have met with them, and the proposed +guidelines below are the result of the discussions we have held so far.

This version is based on Henry's notes, and is meant as a starting point, +not a set-in-stone take-it-or-leave-it proposal.

+ Management of Esme Frith's passport +

The passport will normally be stored in the safe in the Meeting House +Managers' office at 7 Victoria Terrace.

The process of releasing the passport will be managed by three Elders, +drawn from Southeast Scotland Area Meeting (SESAM) Elders.

The identity of the Elders so designated will necessarily change from time to +time, so normally contact should be via email, to +ppelders@equaker.org.uk—if telephone contact is required, +the Clerk of SESAM Elders will always know who the currently designated Elders are.

Meeting House staff will release the passport only on instructions from one of +the designated Elders: they will not be involved in the process leading up +to an agreed release.

Exactly how the designated Elders manage their decisions regarding the +passport is up to them—one possibility is that there is an agreed 'duty +roster', with the first entry on the roster being expected to handle +straightforward requests independently. The others would step in if, for +instance, any incoming email went unanswered for more than three days.

The normal process for arranging release of the +passport is given below, +and should be initiated in good time: at least several weeks before the +intended date of release if at all possible.

+ Normal process + + Ola +and Alan each send email to the designated Elders giving + + the date on which the passport +is required + the destination(s) and duration of the trip + the expected date at +which the passport will be returned + the parent taking Esme on the trip + + + Once the designated Elders have both emails, after possibly confirming the details by +telephone with one or both parent, they will notify both the Meeting House +managers (using office@equaker.org.uk) and both Alan and Ola that +the passport is cleared for release for the requested period. + The parent in question arranges a convenient time with the Meeting +House Managers for collecting the passport + The parent in question returns the passport, again at a mutually +convenient time arranged with the Meeting House Managers + +

+ Emergency process +

If it is not possible to follow the normal process for some reason, for +example because a family emergency arises for one parent and the other parent +cannot be reached, one parent may apply on their own to the designated Elders, who will used +their discretion to decide what to do. In no case should Ola or Alan approach +Meeting House staff without first involving the designated Elders.

+ Winding up this agreement +

If Alan and Ola both request a termination of this agreement, Elders will +arrange for the passport to be delivered forthwith, in whatever way Ola and +Alan have requested.

If SESAM Elders determine at any time that the process is not working, or +is at risk of exposing them to legal proceedings, and if their concerns cannot +be addressed by Alan and Ola to their satisfaction, Elders may terminate this +agreement unilaterally and hand the passport back to Ola or Alan.

If only one of the parents requests a termination of this agreement, +Elders will attempt to negotiate an agreed resolution with both parents, but +failing this will arrange for the release of the passport, as they have no +legal right to withhold it from either of Esme's legal guardians.

+ Form of the agreement +

Once all parties involved (Alan, Ola and Elders) are satisfied with a +form of the above words, Sections 2 & 3 above will be set out on their own +for signature by Ola, Alan and the then Clerk of SESAM, at which time the +agreement will come into operation and Alison Burnley will hand the passport +over to the Meeting House managers. We recommend that a copy of the agreement +be kept in the safe with the passport.

+ +