Penelope Leach’s assertion that young children’s brain development can be damaged by dividing their time between parents who have split up is nothing short of controversial.

The leading psychologist and family advice guru is advocating that children staying overnight once a week with their fathers is not healthy, whilst at the same time condemning the dividing of a child’s time equally between both parents, claiming it to be damaging.

Her latest book, Family Breakdown, argues that children under the age of four are most at risk and as a result of split living arrangements are suffering unhealthy attachment issues.

Comments such as these are not helpful for either mum or dad and will just add to the anxiety and guilt they are probably already feeling at having to put their children through the pain of a divorce.

What concerns me most though is Ms Leach is not offering a solution to the issues she is raising. Is she saying that children should only have a relationship with one parent – the one they are living with? If so, it is hardly surprising that New Father’s 4 Justice and Families Need Fathers are outraged by her comments. However, I am sure there will many mums who are equally dismayed with her views.

Her arguments also conflict with the ethos behind the Children and Families Act 2014 which advocates the involvement of both parents in a child’s life after separation providing it is safe for them to do so and in their best interests.

When the new Act came into force last April, Family Justice and Civil Liberties Minister Simon Hughes, declared: “We are making sure the welfare of children is at the heart of the family justice system.”

For most parents, their child’s wellbeing will be their main concern and they will do their best to minimise the upset caused by the breakdown of the family unit.

Some may argue that Ms Leach has a point as the Children and Family Court Advisory Service (CAFCASS) has revealed that children’s mental health is a factor in many of the cases they deal with in family courts, often as a result of parental acrimony.

But surely the answer is ensuring that both parents play an active role in their child’s life whether that be staying over one night a week with dad or alternating weeks to ensure as much as stability as reasonably possible.Inflatable Pool

Do you agree with Penelope Leach? Are there any alternative solutions?

If you have any concerns or questions about the impact of separation or divorce on children please call us on 0113 246 0055, leave us a comment below or drop us an e-mail. You can also follow us on Twitter: @helpwithdivorce.

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As a vociferous campaigner who fears that the repercussions of the demise of Legal Aid will put vulnerable children at risk and deny youngsters contact with their parents – I was horrified to hear that the brutal cutbacks could be jeopardizing family venues.

The impact of the April 2013 removal of £220 million of cuts to Legal Aid is already biting hard just weeks after its implementation.

Once a fundamental pillar of the legal structure, which enabled our financially weaker members of society to seek legal advice and representation to help resolve their problems, its removal has cast hundreds of thousands of families into a ‘legal wilderness’.

For families feeling stressed and traumatised because they won’t know which way to turn – and who to turn to – I’ve previously forecast how repercussions include more children playing truant from school, a rise in depression causing more time off work, further strain on the NHS budget – along with an escalation in crime as children’s problems are left unresolved.

My fears about ‘desperate fathers’ taking action into their own hands as a direct result of being unable to see an expert family lawyer has been reflected in the recent resurfacing of  Fathers 4 Justice after one of its members was charged with defacing a painting of the Queen in Westminster Abbey.

I was interviewed and quoted on the Channel 4 website about this incident – attributing it to fathers’ frustration as we move further and further from a court-driven system of resolution, which could well result in more of these type of protests.

I empathise with the despair and frustration of these fathers. The Government has made it impossible for family law specialists like Jones Myers to assist and manage parents’ expectations, stemming from the demise of Legal Aid.

In light of the cutbacks, the importance of having accessibility to venues for family outings the length and breadth of the UK which do not cost those already struggling financially a proverbial arm and leg – and where they can savour precious quality access time with their children – has taken on an unprecedented importance.

So why on earth is the Government further compounding the situation and adding insult to injury by oscillating over whether or not it will close museums where fathers and their children can enjoy stimulating and memorable days out?

Contact us with your views by leaving a comment below follow us on Twitter @HelpwithDivorce – or call us at our Leeds office on 0113 246 0055 or our London office on 0203 617 8746.

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