Charities urge more support for separating couples sharing care of a child
Neil Puffett
Friday, July 8, 2011
The government is failing to do enough to help separating couples share responsibility for their children, a study has claimed.
A report from Gingerbread and One Plus One found that although sharing care arrangements are successful for some families post-separation they cause extra problems for many others. And for many families on modest or low incomes, there are practical and financial obstacles that put the option of shared care out of reach.
The report found that around nine per cent of separated families in the UK currently share care, defined as children spending at least three days and three nights per week with each parent.
Firm Foundations – Shared Care in Separated Families goes on to identify the help parents need to create successful shared care arrangements.
Fiona Weir, chief executive of Gingerbread, said: "The government should be doing far more to support shared care when parents are together as well as when they separate.
"Better flexible working policies, paid parental leave and affordable childcare are all vital if shared care is to be a realistic option for families after separation, particularly for parents on low incomes."
Justine Devenney, head of policy at One Plus One, said: "Shared care works best when parents are co-operative and flexible. Crucially, arrangements should focus on the needs of the child, which clearly change as the child grows."
A number of recommendations regarding shared parenting were outlined in March in the family justice review, headed by David Norgrove.
Norgrove has called for a simpler service for families that are separating, aimed at helping them to focus on their children and to reach agreement, if possible, without going to court.
This includes assessment for mediation for separating couples, a step already announced by the Ministry of Justice, and the use of parenting agreements to bring together arrangements for children’s care after separation.
However, the Gingerbread report has warned against a legal presumption of shared care, suggesting it would focus on parental entitlement rather than what is in the best interests of children. "A legal presumption would ride roughshod over the principle that a child’s interests are paramount," Weir said.
