The ISPCC’s Childhood Support Service experienced a huge demand and worked with 439 children throughout 2015. One of the primary reasons for referral to the service was issues arising for children as a result of parental separation, with the processes surrounding this emerging as a source of anxiety for children. The system of mediation, the courts process and legal process and the lack of the voice of the child in this system were all issues which came through in the service’s one to-one work with children.

ISPCC Chief Executive Grainia Long stated: “As the national child protection charity, we monitor carefully the issues that arise for children accessing our support services. Among many other issues affecting children accessing our services – including early sexualisation, drugs and alcohol, bullying and cyber safety – a growing concern for our childhood support workers is the impact on children of issues arising from parental separation. While relationship breakdown is difficult on everyone, there are ways in which changes to the legal system could reduce the impact on children.

“The family courts system, custody and access processes and even mediation process are not child-centered, the voice of the child is often not heard in these situations and children’s emotional well-being can be affected. There is no early stage intervention, and so referrals often occur late in the process when cases are at extreme stages. There is a clear need to address the deficiencies in process, in the support systems available and in the courts systems that do not enable the voice of the child to be heard in these situations.”