Abstract
The presentation by Jenny Ballantyne from the Department of Work and Pensions provided an overview of the Reducing Parental Conflict programme. It focused on the programme’s origins after the policy area on Relationship Support moved to the department, and it commissioned Professor Gordon Harold to explore the evidence on the impact of inter-parental conflict. His findings were critical in focusing the programme on inter-parental conflict in couples who are together or separated, and given the higher incidence in workless families, on disadvantaged families. The presentation distinguished the harmful levels of conflict on which it is focused from domestic abuse, and set out the two main aims, to develop the evidence base and to embed support to reduce parental conflict in local services across England, and outlined the current activity. It also highlighted achievements and challenges, in particular securing sustainability.
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