Hartnell Chanot: Divorce/Family Law Solicitors Exeter, Devon

Living apart from your children

Whatever the reason, living apart from your child can be traumatic and painful.

The number of mothers living apart from their children in the UK continues to rise. According to the Child Support Agency there are over 68,000 women in Britain living apart from their children yet unofficial estimates put the figure at nearer three to four times that amount.

When couples divorce or separate, it is commonly assumed that the children will continue to live with their mother: but this is not always the case and some mums find themselves living apart from their children when the courts award residency to the father.

The circumstances surrounding a mother living apart from a child are often complex and emotionally charged: but whatever the reason for separation, living apart from your child can be traumatic and painful.

According to MATCH (Mothers apart from their children), Mothers are apart from their child for many complex reasons but, for general simplification, fall into these six main groups:

• Child has been adopted.
• Child is in care.
• Child has been abducted by the other parent.
• Child lives with the Resident Parent (father). Mother may have Non-Resident Parent (NRP) status and sees/writes/telephones/texts/e-mails child according to clearly defined Contact Orders or Family Court Judgments. (See Maintaining Contact with your children)
  
• Child chooses not to see mother after high conflict situations following family breakdown, voicing intense criticism of her, sometimes verging on hatred. This is sometimes defined as Parental Alienation Syndrome.
• Adult child, after a family feud or the family splitting up, chooses not to see his mother.

Whatever your circumstances, it is important to find the support you need and to understand that you are not alone.

Legal Advice

At Hartnell Chanot our family law specialists strive to ensure that children’s relationships continue with all those who care for them, particularly those who want to continue to contribute positively to children’s well-being for life. The welfare of your children is paramount to what we do.

If you are experiencing contact or residence issues, or you feel that your partner is being unreasonable, please contact us on 01392 421777 for further information.

Seeking Support

Mothers Apart from Their Children (MATCH) started in 1979 as a self-help group and attained charitable status in 2006. It's run by an elected Committee (Trustees) in their homes. All Trustees are, or have been, mothers apart from their children. MATCH exists to support mothers who are apart from their children because of ill-health, fostering, adoption, abduction abroad, alienation following high-conflict family breakdown or family rows. Most of their Members used to be part of a family structure and were, in the main, its lynchpin. After divorce or separation, many were ostracised from that family, deliberately and maliciously, and denied the opportunity to support the well-being of their children. Find out more about MATCH.