The small staff of Shared Parenting Scotland is working from home and they have organised tomorrow’s meeting which will be held online.
This is a tricky time for parents who may be separated, but wish to maintain contact with children. SPS has been busy with queries about the coronavirus situation.
They are using Skype to convene the meeting. Anyone who wants to join should email aw@sharedparenting.scot and get themselves registered.
You may get some answers here, but if this applies to you then you are encouraged to join the meeting.
SPS say: “We know that many separated families are having to make difficult decisions at the moment between ensuring that parents and children see each other and not increasing the health risks for those concerned.
“Our normal advice is based on the advantages of children having full involvement of both parents after separation and there is a lot of research evidence supporting that.
“You can see the guidance from both the Family Courts in England and Scotland on our website at www.sharedparenting.scot. The guidance spells out that travel for contact is an exception to current restrictions, recognising that in particular at a time for anxiety for children then continuity of relationships is important.
“They need to know that both parents are well, and parents also will benefit from sharing the care while school is closed and going outside restricted for weeks or maybe months to come.
“Of course, common sense has to apply. The households at both ends need to be clear of symptoms or contacts with anyone identified as having contracted COVID-19. That is, the children are travelling from one clear household observing isolation to another.
“The essence of making this work is good communication between the parents.
You may be interested in this blog from one of Scotland’s larger family law firms:
https://brodies.com/divorce-and-family-law/blogs/co-parenting-and-blended-families-dealing-with-coronavirus-how-will-it-work
“That is why our advice at the moment is to try and continue the movement of children between their parents, but we are also encouraging people to try and have reasoned discussion of these issues and not to make any unilateral decisions.
“If it is decided not to have direct contact at this point then the contact should be replaced or even enhanced by phone calls and online links as much as possible so that the children can stay in touch with their other parent. I’m attaching some helpful guidance from CAFCASS in England about what can be done with children at different ages.
“Our view is that this emergency is a time for parents to show their children that at a time of emergency they can count on both mother and father – and grandparents and wider family members – to be pulling for them. If not now, when?”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
