Parents who are no longer in an intimate relationship will receive assistance on parenting in a cohesive manner through a series of sessions to be held from October 13 to November 5.

The sessions are organised by the Social Development Department and will take place at the Road Town Senior Citizens Building next to the Red Cross Building, every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Community Development Officer, Ms. Barbara Smith said the sessions will assist separated parents in parenting in a united manner that will benefit the child or children in the long run.

Ms. Smith said, “When parents are no longer in an intimate relationship, the communication, and the way they parent the kids, everything breaks down once you remove that element.”

She stated that the sessions will give parents more than just the basic information on dealing with the impact of separation, strategies to help families adjust to change, effective ways for communicating with each parent, visitation and how to keep children out of the middle of parents’ conflict. She said parents will also be given, options for resolving family disputes, including mediation and counseling. Parents mandated by the courts to attend the sessions will learn about how the child support guidelines are applied during the court process.

Ms. Smith said the sessions are not only for persons mandated by the court. She added that the department is reaching out to the public as these sessions will be beneficial to everyone.

Persons interested in attending the workshops will also have access to free child care services while attending, as well as refreshments.

For more information on the session and how to register, contact Ms. Barbara Smith at the Social Development Department at 468-3650.