Spear’s Review

‘The voice of the child is at the heart of everything we do,’ says Claire Field, describing the Parenting Apart Programme, which provides advice and hands-on support to families undergoing separation, divorce or parental conflict, with a specific focus on the impact on children.

‘We’re not here to do a post-mortem (on the relationship),’ she tells Spear’s. ‘This is your opportunity to focus on the needs of your children and to allow your children to also have a voice.’

Each Parenting Apart practitioner is a social care consultant, with a duty to protect and safeguard children. Based on her extensive social work experience, Field works to improve the communication skills of parents; reduce stress and anxiety for parents and children; and reduce the length of time that a non-resident parent loses in the relationship with their child. The programme can be accessed before, during and after court proceedings or alongside mediation, and can be submitted to the court as evidence of parents having completed alternative dispute resolution.