Where do I go for information about helping my child through our separation?

Whether you are a parent going through a separation or divorce or a child whose parents are splitting up, there is a huge amount of information available to help you to cope with what’s happening. My pick of the best resources for children are:

• Divorce story books - here you can find a list of books recommended by our children lawyers and their clients 
• The Divorce Journal for Children - a journal created by parenting expert Sue Atkins and designed to help children express, explore and understand some of the emotions they may be feeling
• Voices in the Middle – a great resource aimed at older children and teenagers, written predominantly by teenagers 
• Sesame Street – there may be an American slant (particularly in some of the legal terms used) but this is an excellent starting point for pre-schoolers and younger children

And my pick for resources more focussed on parents are: 

• Splitting up – Put kids first – provides a free parenting plan to help you record the arrangements for your children
• Resolution – lots of resources aimed at helping parents talk to their children about divorce and separation 
• The Parent Connection - a wide range of articles, exercises, quizzes, film clips and interactive programmes designed to help parents come to agreements that work for their children 
• Gingerbread – provides lots of practical advice on managing parenting after separation, particularly when it comes to finance and budgeting 
• Only Mums and Only Dads – a wealth of resources including a live chat facility and access to legal advice via the Family Law Panel 

If, as parents, you are finding it challenging to communicate with each other or your child, there is lots of professional support available. There are also lots of different ways as to how you go about agreeing what your new parenting arrangements will be going forwards. Whether you are considering mediation, collaborative law or making an application to the court, there is lots of information available on this website and our sister site, www.cohabitation-law.co.uk, explaining how these different processes work. And if you would like to find out more, simply get in touch with the children team here at Mills & Reeve who have a wealth of experience of helping parents negotiate their way through separation or divorce. 

This blog is part of a series of blogs written by our specialist children lawyers for Resolution’s Good Divorce Week 2018. Look out for blogs this week dealing with Resolution’s Parenting Charter, advice on defusing arguments and tips on sorting out arrangements for Christmas.