The state, non-profit organizations, and other private parties offer an increasing number of tools to parents that can assist in the course of parental conflict and in finding solutions for children in the future.
Personal meetings for parents
Although it is often unimaginable for parents to talk openly with each other after a breakup, it is a necessary basis for planning and continuing to exercise care for the children.
The network of support services is quite vast. Across the country, parents can participate in the following:
- family counseling
- family therapy
- joint consultation with a child welfare authority
- parent meetings facilitated by a third party
- mediation meetings
- individual counseling
The Office supports parents in personal meetings in the presence of professionals. It is within our possibilities to pass on contacts to local specialist services, and to carry out a facilitated interview with the involvement of a lawyer and Office psychologist.
If parents can reach an agreement, but find it difficult to follow through, they can use, e.g., parenting plans.
- parenting plans
- guidance and support for developing a parenting plan from Caffcass.
Parenting apps and online communication tools
Co-parenting apps can be a great service for parents. They usually allow you to share your child's schedule, regular expenses, information about your child's achievements at school, or photos.
Communication between parents who have separated is challenging, and in our opinion it is not a bad idea to use tools that are designed to help with everyday communication. There are many applications, here we select just a few examples:
Most apps are in English. Unfortunately, Office staff cannot share practices with any of these apps. So it will always be up to parents to decide whether they want to try a different style of communication and more transparent transmission of information about their children.
Here is a video on how children can see their parents' separation: https://youtu.be/jayvwAAcR1g
The 20 most common requests from children when their parents break up Children's feelings when parents split up as described by Cafcass UK: https://www.cafcass.gov.uk/
