Carrying on: parenting after separation

Abstract

Carrying On: Parenting After Separation, was designed to investigate how a small group of separated parents perceived issues of support for their children after separation. The impact of the Child Support Act, 1991, on the support of children in separated families was also investigated. Concerns were easily grouped into the two major areas of financial support and custody, and the variety of arrangements made by the separated parents and their former partners is discussed. The requirements of the paid work force provide a challenge to paid workers who wish to maintain day to day contact with their children. How parents dealt with this, and factors which facilitated their access to paid work, are discussed. The study shows a number of ways in which parents combine their contact with, and their financial support of their children. Several of the parents preferred to work outside of the Child Support Act and organise the support their children required directly with their former partner. Thus the Act clearly has a role to play in assisting some parents obtain financial support for their children from their former partner. However, the study presents examples where the Act has failed to ensure equity between parents with full custody of their children and their former partners.