Have you ever thought of making a commitment to your children and child’s other parent in the form of a Parenting Promise? A novel but hugely practical idea, the Positive Parenting Alliance is calling on parents to set this out in a Promise as a form of good planning in exactly the same way as we all ought to have a Will.
We know that a child-centred approach to family separation is key to promoting children’s mental health and wellbeing. The Parents Promise helps parents commit to putting their child’s needs first in the event of relationship breakdown.
What is the Parents Promise?
The Parents Promise is a commitment by parents to:
- Recognise that they are both the child’s parents and that the child has a need for a relationship with both parents and their wider family
- Love the child and keep the child safe whilst always being respectful to one another
- Work together as a partnership to provide for the child and to create the best conditions for the child to thrive
Parents can submit their Parents Promise here.
Purpose of the Parents Promise
Each year, an estimated 280,000 children experience family separation. To support a child’s mental health during and following their parents’ separation, it is crucial that the child’s experience is as positive as possible. The Positive Parenting Alliance is a group of organisations and individuals whose aim is to create a genuinely child-focussed society. They want to foster better systems to ensure the long-term wellbeing of children when their parents separate.
The primary reason for children being referred to counselling is the impact of family breakdown. The Positive Parenting Alliance seeks to combat this by advocating for a culture where children are protected from harm. They want family wellbeing to become central to the conduct of organisations, by employers recognising the trauma of separation in HR policies and providing flexibility.
Supporting your children on relationship breakdown
Mills & Reeve’s children lawyers recognise the importance of supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing during and following the separation of their parents.
If you need advice on reducing conflict and making child-centred decisions on relationship breakdown, please contact one of our specialist children lawyers today.