The Association's Aim is:

To promote the child's right to the love and nurture of both parents after separation or divorce and to encourage and support parents in the fulfilment of that right.

ASP is a registered charity whose work involves giving support and advice to fathers and mothers who are worried about the welfare of their children after a separation or divorce.  Most commonly, ASP's advice surrounds issues central to Family Law such as: Parental Responsibility (PR), contact, residence, joint residence, Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS), The Children Act 1989 and most other matters which may arise in the family court.  ASP's strength lies in the face-to-face contact and telephone contact it offers to both members and non-members alike.

We are here to help parents who have become, or are in danger of becoming, separated from their child/children for no good reason.  When parents separate or divorce the issue of when the children see each parent or with whom they are to live, can all too often becomes a battleground. Fuelled by unresolved disagreements between the parents, arrangements for the innocent children are frequently used as a ‘blunt instrument' to further parental ambitions.

A deplorable situation made worse by the present state of Family Law in the UK, which remains essentially adversarial and the failure of many legal practitioners to place the best interests of the children above the interests of their respective clients.  The ensuing battles turn already difficult times for the children into tragedies as they risk losing the love and nurture of a parent.

The Association for Shared Parenting campaigns for an inquisitorial system whereby the parents are helped to understand and address the underlying root causes of the disputes. Once parents can regain a working relationship, they are better able to place the future of their children above their own feelings towards each other.

What is Shared Parenting?

“An arrangement whereby children freely enjoy the love and nurture of both parents and their wider family
following separation or divorce …it does mean that sufficient time is spent with each parent for the child to
view each parent as a parent rather than an aunty or uncle.”
(ASP definition of Shared Parenting as adopted by CAFCASS in 2004)

It follows that a Shared Parenting arrangement does not mean a 50/50 split of time.

Our experience, gathered over 17 years of operations, shows that with the parental issues put to one side, a Shared Parenting arrangement works well and dramatically reduces the short and long term potentially damaging effects on the children of family breakdown. 

Useful Publications

CAFCASS: Time for Children - This booklet provides advice and information for parents on how to arrange positive contact between parents and children.

CAFCASS: Parenting Plans - Putting Your Children First - This booklet gives advice and information to separating parents.