Planning Together for Children

More Information

There are several stages to our parenting programme:

Online eLearning course

Parents complete a self directed eLearning course online. You’ll be emailed a log in by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) which you’ll need to use within 72 hours before it expires. Interactive activities and videos focus on topics including what happens when parents go to court, understanding and managing emotion, how separation affects children, and understanding separation from a child’s point of view.

Parents can work through the course activities and videos in eight 10-minute parts logging in and out at their own pace, taking around two hours in total.

Group workshop

Once the online course has been completed, parents take part in a Zoom workshop. Delivered in small groups of around five male and female parents by experienced, trained and friendly facilitators, the session is two and a half hours in length, including two short breaks. The course is run during the daytime including at weekends, or can be split over two consecutive evenings into one hour sessions, which can be helpful for parents with small children.

The course provides a safe place to:

• Learn what children need most when their parents are separating
• Develop practical skills and ideas to improve communication and reduce conflict
• Get support from parents in similar situations
• Access additional support available to parents and children
• Understand and reflect on the emotional impact of separation on parents

Both parents need to complete the programme separately. Co-parents will not be booked on the same session.

Online parenting plan

The course also introduces parents to an interactive online parenting plan to start following completing the programme. The plan encourages agreement over sharing the care and support of children when it is safe to do so. Parents are encouraged to share the plan in a way that is understandable to the children. For some parents, there may also be a follow-up phone call from a facilitator up to six weeks after the workshop to see how things are working out.

If you feel there are any reasonable adjustments that will help you attend and fully participate please let us know before the course and we will do our best to help.

Who is the service for

We run the service for parents court-ordered to attend or in agreement with their Cafcass officer across England. We run the service with our partners, Action for Children.

Parents are either directed by the Court to attend or attend before their hearing in agreement with their Cafcass officer. If court-ordered they are required to go. A Cafcass-funded service, there is no charge to these parents to attend. An interpreter service is available including for parents who use BSL and we can provide additional support if you need it.

The programme is appropriate if there are no current safeguarding concerns about children or parents.

How to book your place

Once your referral has been received, Cafcass will email you a log in link to start your course. They’ll then forward your details to us and we’ll get in contact with you the following day with more information. Cafcass expects you to complete soon after your Court date, completing the eLearning in ten days and the group session soon afterwards. There is no charge to attend the course.