PURPOSE OF THE MODULE

• To help parents to understand what living in a family means to children.

• To help parents to understand the impact of family separation on all of its members.

• To help parents to understand how to build a separated family for their children.

• To build empathy between parents so that they can build shared values and routines for a successful co-parenting relationship.

THEORY BEHIND THE MODULE

Increasing awareness of the importance of family

Separated families often find themselves divided into two parts with mother and father retreating to their family of origin with grandparents, aunts and uncles taking sides. This retreat can bring with it enormous difficulties for children in that they are forced into coping with each side's view of the other. Helping parents to understand how children learn about themselves and the world around them, can increase awareness of how children can feel divided into two when their family separates. Increasing this awareness can encourage parents to find different ways of behaving, ways that protect children from this sense of division. This module focusses on family and how to ensure that children experience a continued sense of themselves as being part of that unit, even though the family has separated.

Offering skills for the building of a new, separated family

Building a new separated family can be difficult and requires parents to set and manage new rules and boundaries. This module offers skills to help parents to manage a post separation relationship that has consistent values, rules and ways of being, so that children are not expected to manage any significant differences in culture as they spend time with each of their parents.

Building empathy and appreciation for the children's other parent

For a successful co-operative relationship to work, each parent must value the role of the other in their children's lives. Too often, parents seek to establish their rights over a relationship with children rather than manage their shared responsibilities. This module enables parents to reflect upon the ways in which their children are part of both of their lives and to appreciate the other parent in positive ways. Finally, this module offers information about how to establish a collaborative post separation relationship.

Module Five: Successful communications >>