Beth Woodward, who heads up our Milton Keynes and Northampton Family Law Departments, recently reported on a pilot scheme that was being run in Milton Keynes aiming to improve how children experience separation and divorce. This has now been replaced by a Parenting Information Programme which is designed to help parents learn more about the challenges of post separation parenting including the effects on children of ongoing conflict. It also aims to provide advice and support about how best to help children in this situation and seeks to enable parents to take steps towards their own solutions.
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 sixteenth 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 is 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 the Parenting Information Programme offers expert help.
If an application is made to court for contact or residence orders, the court will now usually make a referral to the programme. The programme is free of charge and both parties must attend. It is run in two, two hour sessions in groups of ten and parties attend separately. The programme is being run by centres that already specialise in facilitating contact between separated parents and so they are well placed to understand the issues from the children’s and the parents’ point of view.
If you would like to know more about the Parenting Information Programme please contact Beth Woodward on beth.woodward@neves-solicitors.co.uk or 01908 304560.
There is also a very helpful booklet on separation and divorce which can be downloaded from www.resolution.org.uk/parentingafterparting
For further information on a range of family related topics please visit the family section of our website.
