Coalition government’s plans for families and children

The new Government has outlined its plans for families and children. There's an encouragement of shared parenting, flexible parental leave, funding for relationship support and a ‘review of family law in order to increase the use of mediation when couples do break up, and to look at how best to provide greater access rights to non-resident parents and grandparents.’

It does feel like there may be a difference in the wind and we can, perhaps, look forward to a policy environment that doesn’t see fathers as optional extras who can be tolerated so long as they pay child maintenance and do as they’re told. But do the plans go far enough or even tackle the real issues? Read more here

Nick Woodall is a writer and consultant on family separation and fatherhood. He is particularly interested in understanding men’s responses to separation and how they conceive and discharge their ongoing parenting role. More...

Listen to Nick on the BBC Radio 4 programme Bringing Up Britain. Mariella Frostrup hosts a debate about parenting with families, experts and policy makers. Exploring step parenting and 'blended families' from the point of view of parents, children and society. This programme is available via BBC iPlayer.

• Poverty Tzar, Frank Field, attacks young fathers here
• Survey highlights parents' wish for longer paternity leave here
• The agony of frozen out fathers here
• Black boys are too feminised here
• The British Family: Is it time for a change? here
• Death of Robert Enke highlights need for new attitudes here
• An Unspoken Wound: How the UK gets it wrong for children affected by family separation here

• Consultation begins on birth registration legislation here
  

• When daddy is just an optional extra here
• New JRF report: Understanding fathering: masculinity, diversity and change here
• Wefare Reform Bill "disappointing" more
  
• Give new fathers a year's paternity leave, says Clegg read
  
• Portraits of mothers apart from their children... view
  

Isle of Wight Separated Families

Isle of wight Separated Families is a new, community based organisation that works with families who are experiencing divorce or separation on the Isle of Wight. Affiliated to the Centre for Separated Families and run by a fantastic and committed team!

Things to do in the school holidays

For parents, managing holidays can mean having to find new childcare arrangements or activities to keep children busy, but there are resources and initiatives that can help. Information from DirectGov.