Policy & Practice: Policy into Practice - Why we must invest to keep families together

Personal characteristics such as self-esteem, educational attainment, health and emotional and social behaviour can all be linked in part to children's relationships with their parents and, importantly, their parents' relationship with each other. Consequently, the negative impact on children when parental relationships break down or become increasingly volatile is all too clear to see and increasingly prevalent, often leaving children vulnerable.

It's at odds in a society where we are increasingly inundated with advice and support on virtually every facet of life, from the mundane to the important, that support and advice on parenting and relationships is harder to come by. However, last week's announcement of a 4.9m investment in The Marriage and Relationship Support Grant, as part of wider 22.6m investment in parental support, should demonstrate that investment in parental relationship support is essential to yield significant and measurable benefits for families.