The Parents Promise - Separation and education survey for education professionals

The Parents Promise is a group of organisations, and individuals, who believe that all children deserve the most positive experience possible during parental separation or divorce.

Our aim is to create a genuinely child-focussed society and better systems to ensure the long-term wellbeing of children when parents separate. The Parents Promise Education Project will look at parental separation and school and what resources could be created to better support children, parents and educational professionals.

For more information on our members and our previous work visit our website www.theparentspromise.org.uk

All information collected is confidential/anonymous

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* 1. What type of school are you in?

Nursery

Primary

Secondary

Sixth form

SEN

Other

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* 2. Are you in the private or state sector?

State

Private

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* 3. What is your position? Tick all that apply.

Teacher

Head teacher

Deputy head teacher

Safeguarding lead

Teaching assistant

Governor

Other

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* 4. When do you most commonly find out about a divorce or separation between parents?

Before the child is told

Once the child has been told but shortly after the decision to separate has been made

Several weeks, or even months, after the decision to separate has been made

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* 5. As a general rule, do you find it easy to communicate with separated parents about their child

In all cases

In 75% of cases

About 50% of the time

In about 25% of cases

Almost never

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* 6. When communication with separated parents is difficult, what are the main issues you encounter?

One parent trying to exclude the other when it comes to communication with the school

One parent trying to exclude the other, or other family members from picking up a child from school

Such high conflict between the parents that school is forced into a time consuming and stressful intermediary role

Where there are safeguarding issues, the relationship between school and the parent becoming very strained

Parents not engaging with the school at all

In private schools, communication increasingly difficult as to whether fees will be paid as a result of separation

Other (please specify)

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* 7. Do you find that the school sometimes becomes a source of, or location for, conflict between separated parents?

Yes

Don’t know

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* 8. Have you ever felt threatened (physically, verbally) from a parent or new partner?

Yes

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* 9. Does your school have a clear policy on how to communicate and manage all issues well with separated parents?

Yes

Don’t know

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* 10. Have you had any training to understand children’s needs and rights in the context of separation?

Yes

Don’t know

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* 11. If yes, who delivered the training?

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* 12. Have you had any training on the legal aspects of children’s rights and needs in any family separation?

Yes

Don’t know

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* 13. If yes, who delivered the training?

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* 14. Does your school have a nominated member of staff who leads on the area of family separation? (In the same way that many schools have a nominated mental health lead.)

Yes

Don’t know

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* 15. What resources or policies are available at your school to support separating families and their children (tick all that apply):

None

Signposting to helpful resources for the parents

Signposting to helpful resources for the children

One to one talking therapy, or access to a listening ear, for the children

Peer to peer support for the children

Identification of a trusted adult for each individual child affected

A clear plan for regular dialogue with the parents

An administrative policy for communicating with parents now they’re separated (eg we automatically check that we have contact details for both parents and both parents are on the relevant mailing lists)

Parental separation as part of the PSHE curriculum so all children are educated about it

Don’t know

Anything else: please specify

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* 16. Do you ever see parental separation affecting (please tick all that apply)

The academic performance of the children in your care

The attendance of the children in your care

The mental health of the children in your care

Other

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* 17. Do you feel confident to talk to children whose parents are separating about what they are going through?

Yes

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* 18. If you answered no is there anything you could suggest/support that could be provided to make it easier to talk to children about this subject?

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* 19. If you could wave a magic wand, what support, resources or training would you want to help you support children dealing with parental separation?

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* 20. Would you be willing to be interviewed by one of our researchers so we can find out more about your experience of supporting separating families within your school community? Interview responses will be anonymous and the data will help us better understand the support and tools that schools would find helpful.

Yes

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* 21. If yes, please provide your email address:

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* 22. Would you like to be emailed the resources that we create as a result of this project?

Yes

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* 23. If yes, please provide your email address:

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* 24. Your responses will be anonymous but in order to better understand the data we’re collecting, we’d appreciate the following information. What local authority are you in?