The Family Solutions Group published a report back in 2020 called “What About Me”. The aim of the report was to encourage all of us who work in the field of family justice to place the child’s long-term welfare, and the child’s rights, ever more firmly at the centre of our work. The report rightly observes that the current processes for issue resolution (in or out of court) tend to operate largely for parents.https://www.ssfahampshireiow.org.uk/
The Family Solutions Group published a report back in 2020 called “What About Me”. The aim of the report was to encourage all of us who work in the field of family justice to place the child’s long-term welfare, and the child’s rights, ever more firmly at the centre of our work. The report rightly observes that the current processes for issue resolution (in or out of court) tend to operate largely for parents. The full report can be read here : https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/FamilySolutionsGroupReport_WhatAboutMe_12November2020.pdf-final.pdf
The report made many recommendations on how we can improve the support for families who are going through separation. One conclusion was that our justice system is focused upon the needs of the parents and not enough focus is placed upon the children and they need to be put at the centre at a time of their family breaking up.
The idea of creating Alliances to support separating families arose from this report. Many of us working within the family justice system recognise that the courts are often not fit for purpose and do not meet what a family really needs when a separation takes place.
A holistic approach
The report recognised that families going through a separation need a more holistic approach and recommends:
• A holistic approach which takes into account the emotional state of the parents and their ability to resolve issues.
• Bundled support packages of legal services, mediation and counselling to be recognised as best practice.
• Training for all legal professionals on the emotional journey for separating parents, and the impact on their ability to make child focussed decisions.
• Promotion of programmes which support parents to move on from the emotional turmoil of the relationship breakdown.
For many years I have run a group for professionals who work with separating families. We meet bi monthly and part of the purpose of our meeting is to learn more about the different professions and what they can offer to support families. We are creating a network of people we can refer families to who will have the skills needed to support them. From this group the steering group for Supporting Separating Families Alliance – Hampshire and Isle of Wight arose. Other counties have created similar alliances, the first one being in Kent.
If you are living in Hampshire and are going through a family separation do look at this website for the resources available to you locally and nationally : https://www.ssfahampshireiow.org.uk/
