The Mail (online) tells us that a report out today has found that a third of parents who have split from their partner never see their children.
The article says:
“The study showed that 29 per cent of separated mothers and fathers said the partner who had left the family home had no contact with their children.
In these families half of 'resident' parents still living with the children said this was because the 'non-resident' parent had decided not to see the children.
Another 24 per cent said that it had been mostly their decision that contact should end.
Overall, the study showed that almost all separated parents had problems keeping their children in contact with their former partners for one reason or another.
Concerns were expressed by both the resident and non-resident parents about the quality of the other's care. The report was conducted by single parents' charity Gingerbread and the University of Oxford.”
As specialist family lawyers we find that people often need help with child contact and that is not restricted to the non-resident parent but in fact both.
Legal separation is hard enough in itself without major issues over children maintenance along with residence and contact.
Surely, the government could save significant Court and legal cost of divorce and contact issues by moving some spending into areas such as parental support and education on these issues?
Andrew Woolley
Divorce Solicitor.