A new charity, the Separated Parenting Programme Directory (SPPD), has launched in the UK with the aim of providing family law professionals and separating parents with a single, national directory of quality-assured separated parenting programmes.
SPPD has been established to provide a practical solution to a long-standing issue within the family justice landscape. While courts, Cafcass, mediators and family lawyers regularly encourage parents to engage with parenting programmes following separation or divorce, there has historically been no central, independent resource enabling professionals to identify available programmes, what they offer, what they cost, and whether they meet recognised standards.
The charity’s focus is on improving access to trusted parenting support at the point when families are most vulnerable, with the objective of improving outcomes for children and reducing entrenched parental conflict. The directory brings together parenting programmes from across the UK that meet clear, UK-wide quality standards, offering a trusted signposting tool for all those working with separating families.
Yasmin Khan-Gunns, family lawyer at Keystone Law and Trustee of SPPD, explained:
“Family lawyers, barristers and mediators are regularly encouraged to signpost parents to separated parenting programmes, yet until now there has been no single, trusted resource to support that process. SPPD has been created to fill that gap by providing a national, quality-assured directory that professionals can rely on when supporting families through separation.”
SPPD aims to support early, non-court intervention by enabling professionals to signpost parents to appropriate parenting programmes without endorsing individual providers, promote conflict-reduction and child-focused approaches within or outside of litigation, and improve quality, consistency and transparency around parenting programme provision.
Heather Rutherford, founder of The Parenting Partnership, said:
‘‘I am delighted to be part of the SPPD. As a provider of a separated parenting programme, I see first hand the meaningful and lasting impact this support can make for parents navigating separation – and, most importantly, for their children. The directory brings together a broad range of quality assured programmes, making it easier for parents to access the right support at the right time and helping them keep their children’s wellbeing at the heart of all their choices and decisions, during separation and in the years that follow.’’
Commenting on the impact for the wider family justice system, James Evans, head of strategic growth at Nova Law and trustee of SPPD, said:
“Across the family justice system, we regularly ask parents to engage with separated parenting programmes, yet too often there has been uncertainty about what support is available and whether it meets consistent standards. SPPD is a genuinely practical step forward.
“By creating a national, quality-assured directory, the charity gives professionals the confidence to signpost appropriately, and gives parents clearer access to support at a time when they most need it. Ultimately, this is about improving outcomes for children by reducing conflict and helping families navigate separation in a more informed, supported way.”
