Getting there: a universal approach

  • A suggested process for achieving effective and consistent separation support for children, mothers, fathers and their extended families across agencies:

A catalyst or vehicle for development engages all key players, stakeholders and strategic groups in targeted discussion
Examples include Parenting Support Team staff, a temporary separation development post or leader, or a voluntary sector agency with capacity. Engagement methods might include day events, attending existing ongoing groups or individual meetings

for example with:
Maternity Liaison Committee (PCT, Midwives and Health Visitors)
SureStart Children’s Centres Area Managers Group
Children’s counselling services
Barnardos, Action for Children, The Children’s Society, NSPCC
Young carers service
Head of Learners and Young People
Schools and extended schools (through leaders, parent workers or PSHE leads)
Teenage Pregnancy Strategy Manager, Youth Work Manager, SureStart Plus
Connexions
Youth Service
Youth Offending Team
Family Workforce Strategy Group
Council Equalities Officers
Social Care Area Team Managers Group
Family Support Managers
Family Information Service
CAFCASS including family liaison workers
Local family solicitors
Contact centres
Families Need Fathers local contact
Partners of Prisoners/Children’s Centre Collaboration
Probation Service
Homestart,
Homeless forum and homeless family units
Community mental health services
Domestic violence victim and perpetrator services (if available)
Alcohol and drug agencies

Consult and involve to identify local dynamics, needs and concerns
Perhaps using:

A multi-agency steering group of practitioners and managers from the above list who can meet monthly for an agreed period to discuss key issues, take these points to team meetings for feedback and further development. Questionnaires can be useful. Resident and non-resident parents can be invited to give their views
A range of children and young people, for example through The Big Listen, youth groups or schools, or the usual consultation tools of relevant organisations
Resident and non-resident parents with an equal gender balance and from a range of backgrounds are pro-actively engaged, including those with complex needs. Note that consultation needs to meet the Gender Equality Duty guidelines. In this context it means ensuring that involvement includes times and methods that enable fathers and working mothers to contribute.
 

Findings and recommendations produced combining local and national learning.

A short document with ‘at a glance’ findings can help leaders, organisations and individual practitioners understand how to move things forward in their local context and gives something to organise around

Identify separation leads at authority and agency level

This is to ensure that it is someone’s responsibility to move things forward, for example to ensure that it is discussed at team meetings, disseminate information and respond to suggestions and concerns.

Develop a separation policy, then writing core ideas into strategic, parenting and service plans and policies across all agencies

If it isn’t in policies, targets, and work plans, it isn’t likely to happen. This needs to cover how staff will be expected to work, and also what families should expect from services. Fathers and mothers, step and extended families entering any service, including early years and schools, need to know what to expect in separation-specific circumstances, especially where there is a disagreement. This would include involvement in activities, pick-up and drop-off, the need or otherwise for Parental Responsibility, sharing information about children, involvement in decision-making and so on.
For examples see policy and paperwork section

Commission training for managers and practitioners in separation aware working
This should include (see the rest of this website for more detail):

  • The principles of child-centred co-operation in separation
  • Understanding separation conflict and working to reduce it
  • Maximising support for children by working to include both parents and their extended families
  • The needs of various kinds of clients including fathers, non-resident parents, young parents, parents with complex needs and cultural/ethnicity issues
  • Being gender equal and understanding your own emotional baggage
  • Where child centred and parent-centred work differ
  • The basics of the law and court orders, and appropriate language
  • Separation organisations, effective pathways and joint-working 
  • Areas of concern: safeguarding children and domestic violence

Commission specialist services if there are gaps

See useful forms of support for elements that are likely to be needed within your authority

Disseminate information for children and parents on child-centred separation and the services available to help, along with transparent agency policies
Source or produce a range of suitable materials for display and use by families These should:

  • Encourage child-centred co-operation, explaining what children need
  • Signpost to a range of local and national help
  • Explain what parents can expect from agencies, and what agencies expect of them as separated parents

Achieve better outcomes for children by normalising consistent separation-aware work that is gender equal and integrated across agencies and sectors, with specialist services developed as needed:

  • Children will experience less separation conflict
  • Fewer children will experience attempts at alienation from the other parent 
  • More children will retain a meaningful long-term relationship with both parents and their extended families after separation
  • Children will experience more stability and fewer changes
  • More children will have opportunities to discuss their experience of separation either in groups or singly, and be supported to express their needs to parents if they wish.