Children harmed by parental conflict not separation, says family court judge
Children from broken homes are harmed by conflict between their parents not by divorce, a leading family court judge has said.
Mr Justice Hayden, who is based in the Family Division of the High Court in London, said it was possible for parents to have a “happy divorce”.
He suggested that other senior family court judges would give parents the same message.
The judge was speaking while analysing a case involving a teenager whose parents have split at a hearing on Tuesday.
“It is possible to have a relationship that becomes sad and unhappy but to have a happy divorce,” the judge told the child’s mother.
“It is not divorce that harms children, or separation, it is conflict.”
He added: “Ask any judge in this building, we see it all the time.”
The judge was considering a number of issues relating to the care of the teenager.
He said the youngster could not be identified.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2019, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Kate Collins / PA Wire.
