Helping kids cope with divorce

A Manchester family law firm has urged parents who are in the process of divorcing not to make their children the focal point of their court battle.

Elizabeth Tait, family law partner at Irwin Mitchell, made the call after one family court judge, Sir Nicholas Wall, claimed the welfare of young ones can be at stake when couples going through a divorce use them as ‘both the battlefield and ammunition’.

The judge, who made his comments during a speech to the charity Families Need Fathers last week, also suggested that parents often did not realise the impact that their clashes can have on children.

According to Tait, a range of options are available to adults that can prevent their offspring being put at the centre of disputes.

She said: “When parents separate, children are always affected. However, with the advent of mediation, collaborative law and parenting after parting, separation does not have to mean that children are embroiled in a battle between their parents.

“More and more parents realise that working together to have a better relationship for the sake of their children is the best way forward.

“This does not mean being weak or financially prejudiced in the divorce but rather looking at practical solutions where the children come first.”