Co‐operative parenting post‐divorce: possibility or pipedream?

Abstract

Research shows that, after divorce, children do best when they retain a constructive relationship with both parents. Hence, mediation services and recent reforms in family law seek to encourage parents to co‐operate fully and amicably, and to share parental responsibility for the care and well‐being of their children. There is a danger that a vision of ‘happy‐ever‐after’ post‐divorce families ignores the complexity of transitions facing separating families, and the emotional, social and economic stresses which parents experience for many years. Drawing on years of research with divorcing families, this paper invites practitioners to consider whether too much is expected of divorced parents, and whether existing services for separating families adequately address the needs of different family members. Copyright © 1993, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved