Family Mapping and Separation

There are two good reasons for family mapping
1. It is a good way for us as practitioners understand the family system and target support accordingly
2. Family members are empowered to make positive change when understand their family system better

If we do it in partnership with family members we achieve both at the same time.

We all map families – we do it on the fly in our heads (either well or badly), or we do it in note or diagram form. It would be impossible to work with anyone unless we had some way of grasping their relationships. So what are useful ways of mapping separated family systems?

As with our paperwork and record keeping, we need to know:

• The relationships around children
• The contact status of those relationships
• Any legal issues defining or limiting those relationships

In addition, we need to know their quality, in terms of how supportive they are, how co-operative or conflicted. We also need to know who else is already working with this child, father, mother, or other family member.

With this information, we and the families we are working with can see:

• Where the potential positive family support for children is: is anyone being obstructed or isolated, and how can we bring them on board?
• Where the conflict is: what are the points of agreement and dispute?
• Where the resources are in the family - and from services if needed
• Any areas of concern

We can talk through this with the person we are working with, or it may suggest action that we should take.

Below is an example of a separation-aware family map for you to download and use if you wish.
The advantages of this approach are that it is quick to use, attention is drawn to all potential sources of support for children, and it prompts you to include important separation-specific information. It uses the same key as the separation-aware supplementary sheets available in the paperwork section.

However, there are many ways of drawing family maps, and it can be useful to draw them by hand. The process in itself can be very helpful in broadening awareness. For example if a child does it, they can use drawings of faces, or circles of different sizes to show who is important to them. The way they draw and who is drawn close to whom, and who left out can be revealing. Adults may also draw their own, or can do it together. They can be organic, free hand affairs, or technically careful, following accepted genogram rules.