In brief: How schools can support children through family separation

This week, Kate is joined by James Hayhurst, founder of The Parents Promise, to discuss a new school initiative designed to help children cope with the impact of family separation.

Released: 22 October 2025
Updated: 8 January 2026
17 MIN
#161
Coparenting

This week, Kate is joined by James Hayhurst, founder of The Parents Promise, to discuss a new school initiative designed to help children cope with the impact of family separation.

How parental conflict impacts children at school

James introduces The Parents Promise and its mission before he and Kate explore the statistics behind this education initiative. They discuss how parental conflict during separation can affect children’s wellbeing and performance at school. James also shares his Five to Thrive steps that schools, teachers and parents can take to make a real difference.

Here are some points covered in this episode:

  • What The Parents Promise is and how it supports families
  • The impact of family separation on children’s school life
  • Five to Thrive steps for teachers and parents
  • Free resources available to support teachers, parents and children

James Hayhurst and The Parents Promise

James Hayhurst is the founder of the Positive Parenting Alliance and creator of The Parents Promise. Having seen up close the multitude of issues in the family courts and the numbers of children and parents affected, James wanted to begin a new conversation about separation. In May 2021, after many conversations with like-minded people and organisations, the Parents Promise was launched.

More divorce resources:

You can learn more about James and his work on The Parents Promise website and you can connect with him on LinkedIn. You can learn more about the Education Initiative here and you can listen to our episode about the HR Initiative here.

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