Contact Activities: Parenting Information Programmes - Family Law journal

DISTRICT JUDGE MARTIN DANCEY Bournemouth Combined Court and RONI JONES Chief Executive Officer of Relate Bournemouth Poole and Christchurch

The new ss 11A-P of the Children Act introduced with effect from 8 December 2008 by Part 1 of the Children and Adoption Act 2006 are intended to expand the powers available to the court to promote monitor and enforce contact. This article looks at the first of those purposes - the promotion or facilitation of contact embodied in the provision of contact activity directions or conditions under ss 11A-G and specifically Parenting Information Programmes (PIPs) (or co-parenting programmes).

The Government's Green Paper Parental Separation: Children's Needs and Parents' Responsibilities Cm 6273 (2004) the report of responses to the Green Paper Parental Separation: Children's Needs and Parents' Responsibilities: Next Steps Cm 6452 (2005) and the Government's Response Cm 6583 (2005) recognised that court is not the ideal place to resolve children arrangements following separation. In fact only 10% of contact arrangements are underpinned by contact orders; 82% of resident parents...

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