Government announces plans to promote shared parenting
By Clare Peckett
The government has announced plans in the Queens speech for
changes in family law.
In particular they are proposing to promote the concept of
shared parenting when parents separate. The Law Society which
represents Solicitors in England and Wales has commented:
"Most separating and divorcing couples are able to reach informal
or formal parenting arrangements without the need to go to court.
For the minority who go to court, often the most high-conflict
cases, it is not true that the courts are biased towards mothers:
there is and can only be one bias - the welfare of the child.
The risk is that 'shared parenting' or 'shared parental
responsibility' is too easily misinterpreted as meaning equal time
with each parent. This can lead to a focus on the rights of parents
over the rights of children, and an assumption that the starting
point is 'equal time'. Unfortunately, this is only likely to
entrench attitudes among litigating parents. What is really needed
is a more thoughtful approach to what parental responsibility means
post-separation."
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