Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Department is taking to support children in maintaining meaningful relationships with both parents following separation, where this is safe and in the child's best interests.

The Government recognises the important role that both parents play in a child’s life where that involvement is safe, meaningful and positive.

The Government is committed to supporting separating families through measures that encourage parents to resolve disputes and decide child arrangements away from court in the way that best suits them, where appropriate. The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme provides up to £500 to eligible families to cover the costs of mediation to resolve child arrangement matters outside of court.

Where court proceedings are necessary, the child’s welfare must be the court’s paramount consideration when making decisions about parental involvement in a child’s life. Where parental involvement is safe and in the best interests of the child, maintaining the child’s relationship with both parents will likely be supported by the family courts.

Where contact needs to be supervised Supported Child Contact Centres provide safe, neutral settings for contact. Since 2013 the Ministry of Justice has provided grant funding to support National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC) accredited centres, through the Supported Child Contact Centre Grant.