You may have read in the news this week that it is ‘Good Divorce Week’. This is a campaign spearheaded by Resolution, an organisation committed to reducing the conflict within Family Law. Many of the Family Department are members of Resolution. The focus this year is to kick-start a national conversation about how parents can embrace a child-focused approach to separation.
Resolution have launched their “Parenting Through Separation Guide”, to help parents through the breakdown of their relationship. It can be found here for free. I would recommend it to anyone going through a separation, no matter how long ago it happened. It gives a comprehensive (it covers 21 pages) guide to the legal side of parenting after a relationship has broken down, and includes a fantastic ‘Jargon Buster’ (page 18) and list of resources available (page 20). Whilst it is long, it is worth a read.
For many years Brethertons have offered a free workshop to clients (and even their ex partner), run by Liz Headley, called Divorce Through the Eyes of a Child. This has a similar focus to the Resolution campaign. Often in the conflict of a separation, and was designed to offer parents an insight into how the child may be feeling during the process. Sometimes, the child’s views can be lost with each parent believing only they can have the best interests of the child at heart. It’s not to say they don’t each have the children’s best interests at heart, but these views can often conflict. Both Brethertons free workshop, and the Resolution campaign, aim to refocus the conflict, and give an insight into what the child is experiencing.
In the past, the Good Divorce Week has focused on issues such as ‘no fault’ divorces. This finally received Royal Assent in June 2020, and it is expected to be available in April 2022. Good Divorce Week gives us as practitioners a reminder to look at how we can take some of the stress out of an already difficult situation.
If you are going through a separation, or are considering leaving your partner, you can get in touch with one of our lawyers for a free, no obligation, 30 minute telephone consultation to discuss your options. Please contact any of our offices: Banbury, Bicester and Rugby. Alternatively, you can contact us directly on 01295 270999.