Kids lose touch with one parent after divorce
January 25th, 2012 - 8:42 pm ICT by IANSLondon, Jan 25 (IANS) One in five children of broken families in Britain loses touch with at least one parent forever, the latest official statistics have revealed.
Preparing to unveil plans to tackle the problem, Families Minister Maria Miller said parents should take responsibility for their offspring for life and reach civilised agreements, the Daily Mail reported.
“We want to make sure parents are aware of the effect and the importance of working together to support their children,” she said.
“Really that should be the case irrespective of whether their relationship is intact or not… They are parents for life and that responsibility is for life.”
As per the figures, 20 percent of children from a broken home lose touch with absent parents within three years and then never see them again. As they grow older, many others lose contact with a parent, most often with the father when mothers are awarded custody.
Miller said the child maintenance system had failed, with only around half of the three million children growing up in separated families in Britain benefiting from it. The rules are also said to encourage conflict.
To encourage such parents to come to their own agreements, the minister said, the parents insisting on the state intervening to sort out maintenance payments will be hit with an initial fee of 100 pounds (about $155).
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Tags: absent parents, broken families, child maintenance, conflict, daily mail, divorce, initial fee, london jan, maintenance payments, maintenance system, maria miller, official statistics, offspring, problem families, relationship