Good Divorce Week

This week (10th November 2025) is Resolutions Good Divorce Week and this is the Year of the Code to:
• Reduce conflict and confrontation
• Put the best interest of children first 
• Act with honesty and integrity 
• Guide client’s through options available to them 

It is estimated that in the financial year ending 2024, there were approximately 2.5 million separated families in Great Britain, including 4 million children in those separated families. (Official Statistics: Separated families statistics: April 2014 to March 2024. Published 27 March 2025). 

We know that parents continue having to work together for the benefit of their children after separation and even into their children’s adulthood. We therefore align our practice alongside Resolution’s principles and code with our focus remaining on ensuring that families can resolve matters to allow their children to have supportive parents who are amicable.

At the time of separation, it may seem impossible to see how you would be able to achieve this. So what steps can you take to ensure that a civil and respectful co-parenting relationship can be maintained?

1. Be honest - this means being honest with yourselves and each other. Discuss how children are going to be told, provide safe spaces for them to ask questions and be full and frank about your financial positions.  
2. Be realistic - separation and divorce is not a quick process. The introduction of no-fault divorce means that divorces take a minimum of 6 months (but often longer). 
3. Be prepared - for the court to make any financial order arising in divorce, they will need information relating to your finances. You can take some steps immediately such as obtaining cash values of pensions or finding out a value of your property. 
4. Be proactive - ensure that you consider your own financial position including speaking to mortgage or financial advisors to looking into benefit eligibility.
5. Be aware - children have a right to child maintenance and an assessment can be made if parents cannot agree. If you’re unsure where to start, consider the child maintenance service calculator. 
6. Be fair - the court’s first consideration will always be the welfare of any minor child of the family alongside a range of other factors. This may mean that your outcome would be different to that of someone you know who has been through a divorce.
7. Be mindful - think about timing and place of any difficult discussions to ensure that children are not aware of them. You can consider methods of resolution which do not involve court, or expensive and lengthy litigation for example mediation. 
8. Be kind – this is the most important thing to remember. You should be kind to children; allowing them to accept and adjust to these major changes in their life. You should be kind to each other; acknowledging the situation is new to you both. You should also be kind to yourself and seek personal, professional and legal support. 

Our team can advise you on navigating this life changing event and it is best to take advice early so that you understand your rights, entitlement and the process. This may even allow you to have productive conversations with your spouse or partner directly, engage fully in mediation or understand the merits of your case.

Our team can also assist on all matters arising on separation whether you are married or unmarried, have children or require injunctive reliefs through the family court.