Life can have its ups and downs. Sometimes we may need others to help us through the more difficult times. Thinking about separating, for example, is likely to seem bewilderingly complex. This is a time when breaking everything down into manageable pieces, as well as keeping in mind the big picture, may help to make sense of what is going on.

Family breakdown, whether or not culminating in separation or divorce, is ranked as one of the most stressful life events. It creates a series of challenges and changes on the emotional, practical and financial fronts. The biggest concern for many parents at the time of family breakdown is its impact on their children. Research tells us that there are crucial things we should do (and avoid doing) if we are to get our children through family breakdown in good shape. At Family Law in Partnership we encourage parents to place their children’s needs at the heart of the process. Our experience shows that all the other issues (such as housing, finance, maintenance and so on) become so much easier to resolve when there is an early focus on the needs of children.

Sadly, children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of divorce and separation. However, with so many things going on between us as adults, it is hardly surprising that too often the needs of children are managed less well than they could be. At Family Law in Partnership we offer a range of valuable support services together with expert advice on contact (access) arrangements, appropriate financial provision and a range of other issues to help you through these challenges. Our experts will work with you to put in place the best possible arrangements for the long term benefit of you and your children.

We have been at the forefront of a national campaign, Parenting After Parting, adopted by the family lawyers group, Resolution, which provides resources that parents can draw on. We run Parenting After Parting workshops which encourage parents to place their children’s needs at the heart of their decision making process during the family breakdown. The workshops cover issues such as what to say to children about separation and divorce, how children can be affected when parents split up, how to help children to manage grief and loss constructively and how to establish a parenting relationship with your ex-partner. The workshops are open to clients and non- clients alike. If you would like to learn more about our Parenting After Parting workshops, please contact Wendy Hoare of Family Law in Partnership on T: 020 7420 5000 or email Wendy at E: wh@flip.co.uk.

Our in-house counsellors specialise in the complexity of relationships and offer a place to reflect on any aspect of family breakdown and the decisions associated with it in a confidential, stigma free way. They are on hand to provide guidance across a range of issues including how to tell the children about the end of the relationship in a positive and helpful way and how to set up structures and arrangements that are likely to work well for the children going forward. Children and young people may need support of their own and our experienced counsellors can provide support on a one-to-one basis too.

The way that parents get divorced can have a significant impact on their children. We are acutely aware of this at Family Law in Partnership and offer a range of processes – collaborative law, mediation, arbitration and litigation – that can be tailored to your needs and those of your family. You may choose to use the collaborative law approach to reach a workable solution – this involves you and your partner working with your respective lawyers outside the Court process. Alternatively, mediation can offer couples the prospect of neutral, facilitated discussions conducted outside the Court process as a means to find solutions to the issues they face. Arbitration provides an alternative process for resolving all types of financial and children related disputes in family cases. It is a private, confidential process which also takes place away from the glare of the Courts. Sometimes, however, it may be best to use the Courts to decide the issues between you and your partner – much depends on what you want to achieve and your individual circumstances.

At Family Law in Partnership we will do everything we can to keep the emotional and financial cost to a minimum whilst helping you to obtain a fair and just outcome. At the heart of everything we do is a desire to use the depth and breadth of our expertise to provide a solution which minimises damage and helps families move forward with their lives.

For more information on how our talented team at Family Law in Partnership can help you, please call us on T: 020 7420 5000 or email us at E: hello@flip.co.uk.