The Strength of The Parenting Apart Programme

Hello,

Thank you for connecting with me on LinkedIn.

I am the author of the Parenting Apart Programme and completely passionate and fully committed in helping to support parents, families going through conflict, divorce and separation. Through my own personal experience, and from a child’s perspective, I certainly know first-hand and totally appreciate that without the right support for parents the devastating impact family breakdown can have on children today as it did many years ago on myself and my sister. I truly believe as I said to my sister not long ago considering what happened to us and what we experienced “we have done alright!!” She smiled at me, no words were needed.

I truly believe that we all need to be offering more hands on support to achieve better outcomes for children and families today, hence why I have written and deliver the Parenting Apart Programme. I would like to tell you more about the programme and the excellent and positive outcomes that it is achieving for families prior to Court and the families that are referred to us from the Court.

An Alternative Form of Dispute Resolution (ADR)

The Parenting Apart Programme can be offered as another alternative choice alongside mediation, if you are a family law solicitor and you feel that your clients need more support to help address the children matters than the Parenting Apart Programme is definitely an option to be considered.

The Parenting Apart Programme is specifically designed to support parents and the emotional wellbeing of children. It provides unique individual advice, support whilst enabling positive and beneficial outcomes for the whole family whilst maintaining and prioritising the wellbeing of the child/ren.

Objectives of the Parenting Apart Programme is to:

• Change the mindset of parents in order that they prioritise the needs of the child/ren who will become central to all decision making processes.
• Enable better communication between parents, in order to create a more stable and sustainable parenting environment which is emotionally beneficial to the child
• Encourage parents to make their own decisions regarding future plans through the structure of parent working agreements.

Process of the Programme

• Initial 4 or 6 week programme
• Individual meetings with parents
• Joint parent meetings there afterwards
• Two main ingredients of the PAP - Consistency and Continuity - to assist with respectful communication
• Voice of the child/ren heard throughout the process
• Hands on help and support for parents and child/ren if required - Including assistance with handovers and re-establishing relationships between parent and child/ren.

Benefits of the Parenting Apart Programme for Family Law Solicitors are:

• To offer clients different options ie mediation or ADR. Depending on their circumstances and to identify what their needs are
• Achieves better outcomes for families and carries the voice of the child/ren
• The Parenting Apart Programme can be sign posted from mediation
• Can be directed by the Court - Contact Activity Order
• The Parenting Apart Programme has received significant judicial praise locally

C100 Application

If the clients have engaged with the PAP, the clients can self-certify themselves as having taken part in another form of dispute resolution on page 17 under section 13d if required.

Also a letter from Claire Field Consultancy would be provided to confirm the above.

Evidence

There is already a wealth of evidence from a variety of agencies in which early intervention, family support and programmes similar to our Parenting Apart Programme have enabled any child/ren at the heart of a family breakdown, have been given the emotional support they need thus enabling them to better understand their developmental needs growing into young adults.

Childline – The most talked about issue from children in 2014 and 2015 were how poor family relationships caused low mood and unhappiness.

Government – Children also suffer if their parents split up and take their disagreements into Court without trying easier ways to find a solution. Parents can be hurt and angry after their relationship ends, but their anger with each other should not be put before the needs of their child/ren – it is better for them and for the child/ren if they can reach agreement voluntarily.

We agree with the Family Justice Review’s view that a child’s needs must always come first. We want parents to make a Parenting Agreement. This agreement will explain the practical arrangements for looking after their child/ren. It will include plans to help child/ren stay in touch with other members of the family, particularly grandparents.

The Government Response to the Family Justice Review A Guide for Children and Young People (2012).

Outcomes - In almost two years we have supported just under 500 families through the Parenting Apart Programme with a 76% success rate of achieving better outcomes for the families concerned. This is a significant number of families who otherwise may of continued down the path of Court with many child/ren at the heart of it all still suffering emotional hardship.

Testimonials

We are regularly endorsed by Parents and Professionals who have found our Parenting Apart Programme has worked for them. You can read many testimonials on our website but here is one for you:

“Claire is, quite simply, a miracle-worker. She provides a unique and inexpensive way in which parents can learn to communicate better for the benefit of their children. In three years of seeing her involvement in cases, I have seen her transform families and parents in ways that no other course, training, mediation or method can. She is entirely child-focussed. Her energetic personality and robust but sensitive approach to parents and children and their individual issues and challenges brings out the best in all with whom she sets out to help and, ultimately, brings families closer and parents to a working communication around the child.

Her perceptive nature tunes into the real issues facing each family and achieves lasting results remarkably quickly, with positive feedback from those reporting back, having undertaken her Parenting Apart Programme. Claire sets the model of how separated parents can co-parent their children.”

Kristina Brown, Family Barrister – No5 Chambers Birmingham.

Future Planning For Claire Field Consultancy

We are fully committed to on going evaluation and development so we are working to complete and gain the Quality Mark from CanParent Family Lives by the end of 2016.

We would very much like you to come and meet the team at our next Seminar in Birmingham at the Marriott Hotel, Hagley Road on Wednesday 21st September 2016. We will be releasing further information regarding this very soon and information about the training programme for practitioners that is going to be released in the New Year 2017.

If you would like to receive further information regarding the Seminar or the training programme please do get in touch and log your interest here.

You can also stay in touch with us via our Website, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Thank you very much for your time to read our information and we really would like to hear any of your comments and perhaps the similar work that you undertake.

Best wishes and kind regards,

From Claire and the Team.