Each year an estimated 240,000 children in the UK experience the separation of their parents. Overall, more than one in three children will see their parents split up before they reach their 16th birthday.
What do children feel when they live through their parents’ separation?
Why do they feel guilty?
What should they feel?
How should they divide their time between their parents?
As parents, we all love our children and want what’s best for them. The problem is knowing what is best for them. We learn by trial and error and by listening to people who have been through the experience. But is that always enough? At crucial times like separation, it often is not and help from the experts is now at hand.
An initiative is being rolled out in the Milton Keynes area. Parenting After Parting workshops aim to improve how children experience separation and divorce. It provides information and support to parents to help their children through the transitions that divorce and separation bring to families. Beth Woodward, a family law solicitor at our Milton Keynes office attended training on the workshops and is enthusiastic about what they offer:
“I frequently meet with parents who feel they are watching helplessly as their children suffer. This information workshop, based on research from experts gives information to separating parents on how to manage their divorce or separation in a way that does not harm their children. The workshop helps parents understand what children need as they witness their parents’ relationship unravelling, what they feel, how to handle the challenges of parenting as a separated parent and how to establish a parenting relationship with their ex. We are very fortunate to have this workshop running locally and I believe that parents and their children will benefit hugely from the information offered in this 4 hour workshop.”
The workshop is being run by Resolution (an association of 5500 family solicitors who aim to reduce the conflict and adversarial nature of divorce and separation) in partnership with Relate. They run for 4 hours and are at the Holiday Inn Express, Milton Keynes. They cost £80 + VAT. For more information click here.
Resolution has also produced a booklet Separation and Divorce and a chart to help children see the weeks ahead and how their time will be spent between their parents. The booklet and chart can be ordered or downloaded from www.resolution.org.uk/parentingafterparting.
For more information on Parenting after Parting please contact Beth Woodward on beth.woodward@neves-solicitors.co.uk or 01908 304560
