Episode #59: Dads, separation and divorce

In this episode, Kate was joined by James Hayhurst and Adam Colthorpe to discuss Dads and divorce or separation.

James is the founder of the Positive Parenting Alliance and creator of the Parents Promise.  He has a background in Marketing and PR but was compelled to set up the Positive Parenting Alliance having seen up close the multitude of issues in the family courts and the scale and numbers of children affected. James wanted to begin a new conversation about separation and so in May 2021, after many conversations with like-minded people and organisations the Parents Promise was launched. Backed by over 20 organisations including Only Mums & Dads, the children’s mental health charity Place2Be, Relate, Black Mums Upfront and our very own amicable, the aim of the Alliance is to effect important cultural change around separation in the UK and beyond.

Adam is the Director of Co-parenting for Dads Unlimited, a men’s mental health charity working with fathers who have gone through family separation and male victims of domestic abuse to help improve the outcomes for the men and the people they care for. He is the author and facilitator of the Co-parenting Programme ‘5 Steps to Co-parenting Success!’ which has been improving the lives of separated families for the last 4 years. He has two children which he co-parents with his ex-wife.

This episode started with Kate, James and Adam looking at some typical issues faced by Dads following on from a divorce or separation. What emerged was a clear set of gender-specific issues, routed in society, and a real need for reform, particularly in the workplace. They also explored the value of early intervention and limiting the negative impact of separation on families and children in particular.

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