Back to School for Separated Families

The countdown is on for back to school. In between visiting shoe shops and stocking up on books and pencils, it is important to consider what you can do behind the scenes to ensure your child has the most seamless transition back to school.

In Australia, just under one-third of all families have separated parents. This means schools are well versed in managing separated parents and protecting children from witnessing parental conflict.

Schools have procedures in place for dealing with separated parents and ensuring communication is clear. They can send out report cards separately and put in place protective plans of action for hostile parents attending school events. It is important though, for you to keep your child’s school up to date with what is happening at home. If the school doesn’t know, they can’t implement their procedures.

There’s no denying co-parenting is a difficult landscape to navigate, but the more flexible you can be with communicating with your child’s school, the better the schooling experience your child will have. Make sure you spend the time to speak with the school and discuss what works best for you and your family, and what can be done to minimise conflict between you and your child’s other parent.