News

Listen to children, says NCH

Too little account is taken of the views of children when their parents split up and too little Government money is available for much-needed mediation and counselling services, children's charity NCH warned last week. It is taking its message to a fringe meeting at the Labour party conference in Brighton this week and to Conservative party delegates at their conference in Bournemouth next week.

It is taking its message to a fringe meeting at the Labour party conference in Brighton this week and to Conservative party delegates at their conference in Bournemouth next week.

In its summary of recent research, Stuck in the Middle, NCH said that a quarter of children whose parents split up are not told what is happening and only 5 per cent are given full explanations and a chance to ask questions. In 2002, 149,000 children in England and Wales experienced parental divorce. A quarter of them were aged under five and seven out of ten were under ten.

NCH's policy director Caroline Abrahams, said, 'The Government needs to fund many more support services to help parents through the process of breakdown. Much more emphasis needs to be placed on encouraging adults to talk to and listen to children about big decisions, like where they will live.'

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Unlimited access to news and opinion

  • Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here