Login | Register
Contact made simple
04 June 2007
Good planning is a mustBut contact doesn’t just happen – it has to be planned. Probably the most difficult scenario to arrange is an overnight visit, known as Staying Contact. This can often put extra pressure on children, as they have to adapt to a different household, usually with different rules.
To help the visit run as smoothly as possible, parents need to have an agreement in place about routines. It helps if you both can be flexible and have an overall understanding of the difficulties that could arise and how you are going to tackle them if they do – how you will discipline the kids if they are badly behaved, for instance.
When contact goes wrong
Despite your best efforts, contact can sometimes go wrong. If you are experiencing any of the below, it would be wise to speak to your lawyer or the Citizens Advice Bureau for further advice about how to move forward. Common warning signs of bad contact include:
• When children are put at risk – are they being left alone for long periods of time, or in the company of people you don’t approve of?
• When members of the family are not committed to contact.
• When a parent has unreasonable opposition to contact or wants to significantly change the contact arrangements, but not for the child’s good.
- Kenn Griffiths Independent Children and Family Social Worker, Contact Consultant and Private Investigator.
- For more divorce help read articles in our legal section.
- For more divorce help read articles in our children section.
- For more advice on starting a new relationship or divorce recovery read articles in our legal section.
- For more advice on starting a new relationship or divorce recovery read articles in our children section.
