Family Dispute Resolution Week 2015

#childrenfirst

Resolution’s Family Dispute Resolution Week campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of putting children first during divorce and separation.

According to a National poll conducted by Resolution among 500 children this year, around eight out of ten children and young people with experience of parental separation or divorce would prefer their parents to split up if they are unhappy, rather than stay together.

The poll of young people aged 14-22 with experience of parental separation, which was carried out by ComRes on behalf of family law organisation Resolution, has revealed fresh insights from children about the levels of involvement and amount of information they would like during their parents’ divorce. The findings are released ahead of a Parliamentary launch of new advice for divorcing parents.

An overwhelming majority (82%) of the young people surveyed said that, despite their feelings at the time, they felt it was ultimately better that their parents divorced rather than stay together unhappily. Asked what advice they would give divorcing parents, one young person said, “Don’t stay together for a child’s sake, better to divorce than stay together for another few years and divorce on bad terms”; while another suggests children “will certainly be very upset at the time but will often realise, later on, that it was for the best.”

Key findings from the research shows that children and young people want greater involvement in decision-making during the divorce process.

Positively, Resolution’s research also showed that many parents are handling their separation admirably. 50% of young people agreed that their parents put their needs first during their separation or divorce.

If you are going through separation and divorce and would like some advice on the divorce process and your legal rights, or are interested in seeking family mediation support to help you reach an amicable solution that will meet the needs of all involved, then please submit your details and we'll arrange a free, no obligation callback at a time to suit you.