Knowledge & resources

What is domestic abuse?

The government definition of domestic abuse is “any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. The abuse can include, but is not limited to: psychological, physical, sexual, financial and emotional.”

Whatever route you choose to take to address your co-parenting issues you may come across ‘legal jargon’ which can appear unfamiliar and confusing. Set out below are some of the key definitions to help you along your way.

You may reach a point in your co-parenting journey whereby you need to give consideration to your legal position as a parent and what steps you need to take.

Even though you have decided to separate, you are still both parents. Children can cope well through a separation if their parents manage it well and find ways to reduce conflict and maintain good quality access to the family.

When co-parenting works well, it means your child is held in a safe parental bubble and can grow up with a good attitude towards relationships. A good co-parenting relationship can really enhance a child’s life.

Most families experience changes and events along the parenting journey that may pose challenges and, sometimes, difficulties. While some of these changes may happen soon after separation, on other occasions such events only arise some years after separation or divorce.

In many families, children enjoy a valuable and close relationship with extended members of their family including Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and cousins. These close and special relationships can be invaluable in helping your children cope with the trauma of not only your separation but they may also form an integral part of your child’s support system, something that you should hopefully wish to maintain.

In many families, children enjoy a valuable and close relationship with extended members of their family including Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and cousins. These close and special relationships can be invaluable in helping your children cope with the trauma of not only your separation but they may also form an integral part of your child’s support system, something that you should hopefully wish to maintain.

One of the hardest things to navigate is knowing when it is appropriate to bring your child’s voice into decision making and when to keep them secure by making decisions as their parents.

Once you decide to separate, along with the many decisions you will both be making, there will be a big change in your parenting role.
You are becoming Co-parents.

Family separation is tough; the ride can be bumpy and it will take some time to get things sorted out.

Deciding to end a relationship is a complex and difficult process and is not arrived at easily. Equally being told your relationship is at an end, is often a shocking and emotionally traumatic event.
It is common for those leaving and for those being left, to experience similar feelings despite how it might look on the outside.

Two members of the Parenting After Parting Committee share their stories.

We are privileged to introduce this guide for parents who are separating. Bringing up children after separation is truly one of the hardest things. We want to share our stories with you in the hope that they might help you choose to keep persevering to bring up your children together as co-parents, even though you are no longer in a relationship together.

Becoming a separated parent is not something you may have anticipated. It is challenging in so many ways and can be very daunting.

This guide aims to give parents access to information and support that helps them throughout their parenting journey, through separation, divorce and beyond.

Although it was the graveyard slot at the very end of an amazing week at the National Resolution Conference 2021, the Parenting After Parting workshop was outstanding in its content and participation.

In this workshop a panel of Alex Verdan QC, Charlotte Bradley and Dr Mark Berelowitz, chaired by Simon Blain, provided a fascinating and extremely useful insight into high-conflict parental disputes from their wide-ranging perspectives.

In the second of a two-part article on how grandparents can be brought into when parental issues have arisen, we focus here on public law proceedings and the details of child arrangements order and special guardianship orders.

A number of websites and apps help separated parents share information about their children’s needs and plan anything from diaries to mealtimes. Many also have built-in recording of conversations and tools to help reduce conflict in the co-parenting space. As these are now sometimes court-ordered, practitioners are advised to have at least a basic knowledge of what the different options offer.