Both parents are very important in a child’s life. The child’s environment can feel very different if suddenly one parent is not part of their life any more, so it’s very important that you both remain involved providing it is safe to do so.
The difficulties
Staying involved may be difficult because:
- you may have strong negative emotions about each other or as a result of parenting apart
- there may be practical problems, for example the parent without day-to-day care of the child may live a long way off or in accommodation unsuitable for a child.
The solutions
- Find someone you can talk to about how you feel. A friend, a counsellor or your GP may be able to help.
- If you live apart from the other parent and have nowhere suitable to see your child, arrange to see them at a relative or friend’s house, or visit the local park or library.
- If the other parent is preventing you seeing your child, speak to the Community Legal Advice helpline on 0845 345 4345.
- If it is taking time to reach agreement with the other parent, keep in touch with your child by letter, email or SMS text.
