Reducing Parental Conflict

Parental Conflict is not the same thing as Domestic Abuse. When addressing parental conflict in a relationship, practitioners should continue to be vigilant and confident there are no indicators of domestic abuse, including fear, imbalance of power and controlling behaviour. If there are signs of controlling behaviour that adversely affects one person in a relationship, this can be an indicator of an abusive relationship.

Some level of arguing and conflict between parents or carers is often a normal part of everyday life. However, there is strong evidence that frequent, intense and poorly resolved parental conflict can have a negative impact on children’s mental health and long term life-chances.

Evidence on the impact of parental conflict on children shows that where a child lives with both parents in the same household, more than 1 in 10 (12%) children have at least one parent who reports relationship distress. Previous research (2017) identified that children living in workless families are twice as likely to experience parental conflict than in families where both parents are in work.

Use the links below to access gov.uk resources such as a report on the key evidence on what works to enhance inter-parental relationships, to find out more about parental conflict in Section 2.1 of the Reducing Parental Conflict Commissioner Guide or to access further research and resources on parental conflict from the Foundations Reducing Parental Conflict hub. Foundations is a research partner of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and the hub provides a repository of key evidence, tools and guidance on Reducing Parental Conflict.