About

Campaign aims

Kids in the Middle is about two things – helping children whose parents are fighting a lot, and helping parents to avoid getting into this situation in the first place.

We are currently debating what things we should focus on.  You can see what we are thinking in our post, What do you think Kids in the Middle should campaign for?.  Please tell us there what you think we should be doing.

Organisations currently members of the coalition

• 4Children
• Action for Children
• Best Beginnings
• British Association for Counselling ad Psychotherapy
• Care for the Family
• Children’s Society
• Contact a Family
• Families Need Fathers
• Family & Parenting Institute
• Fatherhood Institute
• Gingerbread
• Grandparents Association
• Grandparents Plus
• Institute for Family Therapy
• Marriage Care
• National Association of Child Contact Centres
• National Family Mediation
• One Plus One
• Ormiston Children and Family Trust
• Parentline Plus
• Relate
• Resolution
• Respect
• Seasons for Growth
• STOP
• Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships
• The Place2Be
• The Who Cares? Trust
• Women’s Aid
• Working Families
• Local Government Association (observer)

Agony Aunts and Uncles currently supporting the campaign

• Simone Bienne, Asian Woman Magazine, Sky
• Linda Blair, clinical psychologist, Junior magazine, various
• Sally Brampton, Sunday Times Magazine
• Gill Cox, Bella
• Tracey Cox, News of the World, Closer
• Katie Fraser, Take a Break
• Mariella Frostrup, Observer Magazine
• Lesley Garner, Daily Telegraph
• Suzie Hayman, The Times and various
• Phillip Hodson, Family Circle
• Virginia Ironside, The Independent
• Lorraine Kelly, Best
• Emma Marlin, Woman’s Own
• Michael Melis, Company
• Ingrid Millar, Chat
• Bel Mooney, Daily Mail
• Jane O’Gorman, Daily Star, Sunday Express
• Susan Quillam, That’s Life Magazine
• Denise Robertson, This Morning
• Deidre Sanders, The Sun
• Keren Smedley, Women’s Weekly
• Dr Pam Spurr, The Times
• Dr Miriam Stoppard, Daily Mirror
• Christine Webber, Site.org, Netdoctor
• Zelda West-Meads, Mail on Sunday

What we have achieved so far

Government responded to the first Kids in the Middle proposals last autumn by making a series of substantial commitments:

• £60m to support counselling in schools for children experiencing conflict and parental separation.
• £5.5m for local projects to pilot new ways of providing holistic support to separating parents.
• A Family and Relationship Green Paper to bring back into focus the need to engage with family relationships in all services.
• Funding for the production and distribution of 265,000 copies of a guide by Deidre Sanders for separating parents, Kids in the Middle.

In the spring of 2009, Kids in the Middle suggested that Government should provide more support for parents in the recession.  DCSF allocated £3.1m for such extra support, including £600k for Kids in the Middle coalition members to provide services that the campaign will market as a package to local services.  The £600k has been allocated to the following activities:

• Publishing a Facing Hard Times guide by Deidre Sanders for families in financial difficulties
• A similar guide by Grandparents Plus for grandparents
• Technical support to local services to work effectively with mothers and fathers together, provided through Relate, One Plus One and National Family Mediation.
• A new on-line tool for working mothers and fathers struggling to balance their working and caring roles.
• Information for parents on relationship issues distributed through maternity units and early years services.

How we are structured

The coalition of organisations is chaired by Claire Tyler, CEO of the charity Relate.  The work of the campaign is managed by a small Community Interest Company, directed by Duncan Fisher OBE.  This website is run by two Agony Aunts, Suzie Hayman and Linda Blair.