Charities call for relationship aid

The proposals, seen exclusively by CYP Now, have been set out by family charity coalition Kids in the Middle in a briefing expected to inform the forthcoming families and relationships green paper.

Consisting of 29 of the country's leading family charities and children's organisations, the coalition wants any changes in family policy to be underpinned by a set of government principles akin to Every Child Matters, called Every Family Matters, based on consultation with parents, children and extended families.

"What really matters to children are happy families, where the adults are co-operating with each other around the child, and that has not been the focus of government policy until very recently," said Duncan Fisher, director of Kids in the Middle. "Family and children's services need to be able to offer relationship support but they have not been given the resources, skills or confidence to do it."

Other suggestions in the document include a more structured approach to relationship support at a local level, with an emphasis on existing services in the voluntary sector.

Mark Molden, chief executive of coalition member Care for the Family, said the voluntary sector already provides trusted services to families, which the government must tap into. "Families respond best to support from people in the community who they consider to be peers. That is where statutory services struggle as they are often seen as experts," he added.

The coalition is issuing a guide for families on dealing with problems such as financial hardship and bereavement.

It is also launching free workshops for children's centres on working with parents who are in conflict or separated and further guidance for fathers to get the most out of their relationships.

A Department for Children, Schools and Families spokesman said: "We are carefully considering the issues raised by Kids in the Middle as part of our families green paper due to be published shortly."