Some level of arguing and conflict between parents is often a normal part of everyday life. However, there is strong evidence to show how inter-parental conflict that is frequent, intense and poorly resolved can have a significant negative impact on children’s mental health and long-term life chances.
Damaging conflict between parents can be expressed in many ways such as:
- aggression
- silence
- lack of respect
- lack of resolution
Conflict can affect children in all types of parental relationships, including:
- parents who are in a relationship, whether married or not
- parents who have separated or divorced
- biological and stepparents
- other family members playing a parenting role
- foster and adoptive parents
- same-sex couples
The Reducing Parental Conflict programme focuses on the ways that a couple behave, rather than the status of the relationship.
Why is reducing parental conflict so important?
The quality of the parental relationship, whether parents are together or separated, is increasingly recognised as a primary influence on children’s long-term mental health and future life chances.
Research has found that parents who engage in frequent, intense and poorly resolved conflict put children’s mental health and long-term life chances at risk.
There are many triggers for parental conflict including having a new baby, health difficulties, losing a job and getting into debt.
The Reducing Parental Conflict Programme has been introduced nationally to support families experiencing Parental Conflict. The focus is on supporting parents and carers who are in a relationship or separated.
For further advice and guidance, as well as resources and information on free courses, visit the Reducing Parental Conflict | Ealing Directory (ealingfamiliesdirectory.org.uk) pages.
