Fortsatt Foreldre now a national programme
The program Continued Parents – GOOD NOK cooperation after divorce, developed by Modum Bad – Relationship Centre in Norway is now a permanent programme under the Children, Youth and Family Affairs. Congratulations to everyone concerned with its development and promotion.
Link: I Norske
Link: In English
UK Government launches Family Justice Review
The UK Government has launched a Family Justice Review to examine the effectiveness of the family justice system and the outcomes it delivers, and to make recommendations for reform.
The Review will examine both public and private law cases, explore if better use can be made of mediation and how best to support contact between children and non-resident parents or grandparents, examine the processes (but not the law) involved in granting divorces and awarding ancillary relief, and look at how the different parts of the family justice system are organised and managed.
[Source: UK Ministry of Justice]
ENSP members bid for LLP project funding
Five member organisations of ENSP have submitted a joint bid to the European Union’s Lifelong Learning Programme. Details about the scope of the project were discussed during a preparatory visit to the Czech capital, Prague, in February.
The organisations involved in the bid are The Centre for Separated Families (UK), Children of Europe (CZ), Familjerattssocionomernas Riksforening (SE), Udruga Dijete-razvod (HR) and Expertise Centrum Kind en scheiding (NL).
The purpose of the project is to develop a common framework for the vocational education and training of social welfare and psycho social professionals working with separated parents across Europe, with a focus on producing better outcomes for children.
The project will facilitate the transfer of knowledge and develop a shared understanding of the social policy context, current dominant professional practices and resulting outcomes for families in the counties of each of the participating organisations. This will be achieved through seminars, discussions and observations undertaken during mobilities.
The project will provide the basis for benchmarking best practice and will allow the partnership to determine what would constitute a common vocational education and training framework and enable the development of resources, tools and programmes. These will be based around a core ethos whilst allowing for adaptation to meet particular social and cultural environments.
Czech Justice minister wants to introduce tables for setting child support payments
Justice Minister Daniela Kovářová told journalists on Thursday she would like to introduce reference charts for setting the amount of child support in divorce proceedings. Ms. Kovářová also wants a system by which divorcing parents who manage to agree on the amount of child support independently could have their cases finalised by social workers rather than the court, in an effort to relieve the latter’s workload. According to the minister, roughly 30% of divorcing couples reach such an agreement. Ms Kovářová hopes to have the proposal ready for the approval process by the end of the election season, in which case the system would take effect in 2011.
[Source: Radio Prague]
Instituto Português de Mediação Familiar joins network
The Portuguese mediation organisation, Instituto Português de Mediação Familiar, is the latest addition to the European Network on Shared Parenthood.
More text to follow.
European network on shared parenthood launched
The 8 May 2009 saw the launch of a new European network on shared parenthood in the Czech capital, Prague.
The network brings together colleagues working in the field of support to separated families from across Europe to share understanding and best practice. The network currently has representatives from eight countries, all of whom are working in ways that promote children’s wellbeing after divorce or separation. However, the network is set to grow and there are already plans to hold a seminar in Stockholm later this year or early in 2010.
The idea of the network was developed by the UK charity the Centre for Separated Families and is intended to enable colleagues who are working directly with families to contribute to an increased and improved understanding of what really works in supporting separated families.
Download the Prague 2009 paper
At the meeting, Monika Kopřivíková from Children of Europe in the Czech Republic talked about the philosophy that ‘the best parent is both parents’. She said that after divorce or separation parents ‘have to carry the responsibility of being father and mother’ and that both parents are able to care for children. Children of Europe argues that children benefit hugely from the ongoing input of both parents after separation as this offers the continuation of family life for children. It also ensures that one parent is not unfairly burdened with responsibility for a child’s upbringing.
Guro Hansen Helskog from Samlivssenteret in Norway, stressed the importance of working preventively. She described how a programme to offer all first time parents relationship support correlated with a fall in the divorce rate. She also described her work on the Fortsatt foreldre programme which helps parents to adapt to divorce or separation in ways that put the needs of their children first.
Marianne Gabrielsson is developing ways of helping highly conflicted families for the city of Stockholm. Her work involves studying different approaches both at home and abroad. She believes that the new network will give energy and offer clear perspectives. She said, ‘sharing knowledge is a really powerful way to develop work between countries’. Whilst Alison from the UK organisation Jewish Unity for Multiple Parenting (JUMP) believes that the network offers an ‘opportunity to learn how other European countries deal with separation.’
The network is currently developing its shared principles and looking at ways to increase cooperation between member organisations and between the different countries represented.
Welcome…
Divorce and family separation is an issue that affects all countries in Europe. It is an issue that policy makers are attempting to more fully understand in order to improve outcomes for the children affected.
The Centre for Separated Families (UK) is delighted to be hosting Putting Children First: best practice in Europe, a forum which brings together colleagues working in the field of support to separated families from all over Europe to share best practice. The idea of the forum is to enable colleagues who are working directly with families to contribute to an increased and improved understanding of what really works in supporting separated families to put their children’s needs first.
There are currently representatives from eight countries, all of whom are working in ways that promote children’s wellbeing – one of the major principles of the forum. The forum will report on developments regularly over the coming year and aims to hold a conference in Stockholm in late 2009 at which the first findings from the meeting will be presented.
The Putting Children First forum welcomes members from everywhere in Europe who are working towards better outcomes for children through holistic support to separating families.
Karen Woodall
Director
The Centre for Separated Families (UK)
© The European Network on Shared Parenthood (2009)
