What you need to know

• At least one in four families in the UK have one parent absent, and in 90% of these families, it is the father. Approximately a third of families are affected by breakdown or new family partners.
• For some children, a family breakdown may be a fact of life. For others, feelings will still be raw and sensitive, and you will need to plan how best to support that child through the next few months.
• Children adjust best to the change if they continue to feel loved and valued by both parents, even though they live apart. Children whose parents discuss with them what is going on tend to cope better. They need information to be delivered in a way that they can understand.