Is My Organisation 'Separation Ready'?

Organisations that are ready to be effective at maximising support for children after separation:

1. Train and require staff to pro-actively address separation issues with clients, prioritising child-centred co-operation and the retention of both parents and their extended families as support for children. Managers and frontline staff will have a working knowledge of practical and emotional separation issues, promote child-centred co-operation and challenge conflict, including parental alienation and the obstruction of contact. They will understand how to signpost appropriately to separation specific organisations, and work jointly with a range of agencies if needed.
   
   
2. Take a child-centred, whole family approach rather than identifying mainly with a presenting parent. They’re welcoming and promote their service actively to both parents and their extended and stepfamilies as potential support for children. If they work directly with children, they give an age/stage sensitive opportunity to discuss experiences, either individually or with peers. Where chosen this may be fed back to both parents.
   
   
3. Meet the Gender Equality Duty in their work. They differentiate and meet the needs of male and female service users; and take positive action as suggested in GED guidelines to promote a workforce that reflects target clientele, rather than being predominantly single gender. Go to Gender Equality section.
   
   
4. Have a separation policy, which is clear, simple and promoted to service users and staff. This details what parents and children can expect to happen in separation-specific circumstances like pick-up and drop-off, involvement in events and decision making regarding children, what information about children will be shared and with whom, limits and exceptions and dispute resolution.
   
   
5. Have paperwork and systems that are separation inclusive. Record keeping, referrals, enrolments etc. include space for:
   a. contact details for both biological parents and other significant carers,
   b. important information like parental responsibility, court-orders and residence status.
   c. contact relationships,
   d. a way of mapping child-parent relationships in complex blended families.
    
6. Share information about children (not about adults), and decision making about children, with anyone known to be a parent and with anyone known to have Parental Responsibility - unless this is specifically excluded by a court or care order, or is proven to be a risk to the child or someone close to them. Where there is conflict an objection from a parent without supporting evidence would not normally in itself be sufficient reason to exclude the other parent.
   
   
7. Have robust risk management processes on a case-by-case basis. These are tuned to the particular challenges of separation, and distinguish risk to children from risk to other adults. They are creative with identifying child-centred ways of working with highly conflicted families and parents with complex issues, and challenge mothers and fathers equally.
   
   
8. Listen to separated family members, and adjust their services in response to their needs. This includes children, fathers, mothers (resident and "non resident") and those with complex needs.