Parenting After Separation Awareness Program
Parenting After Separation Awareness Program
Helping you support your children through family separation
Separation can be a difficult and stressful time for both parents and children.
Northern Frontiers' Parenting After Separation Awareness Program is an individual four-session program designed to help separated parents better understand their children's needs, reduce children's exposure to parental conflict and develop practical strategies for parenting following separation.
The program is delivered one-to-one, allowing the content to be tailored to your family circumstances rather than requiring you to participate in a group course.
Northern Frontiers provides the program Australia-wide by telephone and video, including FaceTime, MS Teams and Zoom.
No referral is required. You may self-refer or participate following a recommendation from a lawyer, Court, family member or another professional.
Why undertake a Parenting After Separation Program?
Children do not need perfect parents. They do, however, benefit from parents who are able to focus on their safety, emotional wellbeing and changing needs during and after separation.
Parental separation can bring strong emotions including stress, anger, frustration, grief and uncertainty. It can sometimes become difficult for parents to separate their own relationship conflict from their ongoing parenting responsibilities.
Children generally benefit when they are protected from adult conflict and are not placed in the middle of disagreements between their parents.
The Parenting After Separation Awareness Program provides an opportunity to reflect on your own parenting practices, consider how separation and conflict may be affecting your children and develop strategies for responding more calmly and effectively.
What does the Parenting After Separation Program cover?
The program is tailored to the participant's circumstances, but topics may include:
- children's needs during and after parental separation
- children's developmental and emotional needs at different ages
- the impact of ongoing parental conflict on children
- keeping children out of adult disputes
- avoiding using children as messengers or sources of information
- parental stress and emotional self-regulation
- communication between separated parents
- co-parenting and parallel-parenting approaches
- setting appropriate boundaries following separation
- supporting children's relationships with important people where it is safe and appropriate
- responding to children's behaviour and emotions following separation
- changes involving new partners and blended families
- developing practical strategies for future parenting situations.
The program focuses on helping you consider your own behaviour and parenting practices. It does not involve assessing or diagnosing the other parent.
Is this the same as Family Dispute Resolution?
No. The Parenting After Separation Awareness Program is an individual program involving one participant.
Family Dispute Resolution is a separate dispute resolution process involving parents or other parties and an accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner.
Completing this program does not by itself satisfy the Family Dispute Resolution requirements for commencing parenting proceedings and does not result in the issue of a section 60I certificate.
If you have disputed parenting arrangements that you would like to resolve with the other parent, please visit our Parenting Mediation & Family Dispute Resolution page.
Program Options & Add-Ons
The Parenting After Separation Awareness Program can be completed as a standalone four-session program.
It can also be combined with Northern Frontiers' other behavioural awareness programs where more than one area is relevant to the participant's circumstances.
Anger Management Program
Our Anger Management Program focuses on understanding Anger, identifying triggers and higher-risk situations, emotional regulation and developing safer and more assertive responses to frustration and conflict.
If Parenting After Separation is your main four-session program, Anger Management may be completed as an additional two-session add-on.
Domestic Violence Awareness Program
Our Domestic Violence (DV) Awareness Program focuses on increasing awareness of behaviours that can cause fear, harm or control within intimate and family relationships.
DV Awareness may also be completed as a two-session add-on to the Parenting After Separation Program where appropriate.
Why combine programs?
Family separation can involve more than one area of concern.
For example, a parent may want to better understand children's needs following separation while also improving the way they manage Anger, conflict or behaviours that have affected family relationships.
The add-on format allows these additional issues to be explored without requiring another complete four-session program.
Do you also need help reaching parenting agreement?
The Parenting After Separation Program focuses on your individual parenting awareness and behaviour. It does not negotiate parenting arrangements between you and the other parent.
If you need assistance reaching agreement about where children live, time arrangements, schooling, holidays, communication or other parenting matters, please see our Parenting Mediation & Family Dispute Resolution service.
Can the program be relevant to a Family Law or Criminal Law matter?
People often undertake the Parenting After Separation Awareness Program while involved in family law, domestic violence or criminal law proceedings.
Upon request, Northern Frontiers can prepare a Letter of Completion after the program has been completed.
The Letter of Completion can confirm attendance, completion, topics covered and relevant information about participation. It is not a parenting-capacity assessment, psychological assessment, diagnosis, risk assessment or guarantee of any particular legal outcome.
If you are involved in legal proceedings, you should ask your lawyer whether completion of the program and a Letter of Completion may be relevant to your circumstances.
Who delivers the program?
The program is delivered by an experienced accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (FDRP) with professional experience working with separated families and parenting disputes.
FDRP accreditation relates to the practitioner's Family Dispute Resolution qualifications and accreditation. The Parenting After Separation Awareness Program itself is a separate Northern Frontiers educational and behavioural awareness program.
Parenting After Separation Program – Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a Court-approved or government-accredited parenting program?
Northern Frontiers' Parenting After Separation Awareness Program is a private, individual educational and behavioural awareness program.
The practitioner delivering the program may be an accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, but this should not be confused with the program itself being government-accredited or being a particular Court-mandated parenting course.
If a Court, lawyer or government agency has directed you to complete a specifically named or approved parenting program, you should confirm their requirements before making a booking.
Can I receive a Letter of Completion?
Yes. A Letter of Completion can be prepared upon request after the four-session program has been completed.
The letter can record your attendance, completion, topics covered and relevant information about your participation.
The Letter of Completion does not provide a parenting-capacity assessment, clinical diagnosis, psychological assessment or opinion about what parenting arrangements a Court should make.
If you require the letter for a lawyer, Court, employer or another organisation, you should confirm that it will meet their requirements.
Does completing this program give me a section 60I certificate?
No. A section 60I certificate relates to the formal Family Dispute Resolution process for parenting disputes.
If you need Family Dispute Resolution or information about obtaining a section 60I certificate, please see our Parenting Mediation & Family Dispute Resolution service.
Do I need a referral?
No. You can self-refer and contact Northern Frontiers directly.
We also receive enquiries and referrals from family and criminal law solicitors, barristers, family members and other professionals.
Can I refer my client, partner, family member or friend?
Yes. You are welcome to contact Reception for information about the program that you can provide to a prospective participant.
Participation is most useful where the person understands the purpose of the program and is willing to engage with the content.
Solicitors and other professional referral sources are welcome to contact Northern Frontiers to discuss the program, current fees and the information that may be provided following completion.
How does the program work?
The Parenting After Separation Awareness Program consists of four individual sessions of up to 50 minutes each.
Sessions are conducted one-to-one and can generally be completed weekly or fortnightly by telephone, FaceTime, MS Teams or Zoom.
Because the sessions are individual, the facilitator can place greater emphasis on the topics most relevant to your circumstances.
How much does the Parenting After Separation Program cost?
Standard session fee: $220 per session
Four-session program: $880
Optional Letter of Completion: $150
If the full four-session program is prepaid before commencement, a 5% prepayment discount applies in accordance with our current pricing arrangements.
A two-session Anger Management or DV Awareness add-on is charged at the standard session rate.
How quickly can I start?
No referral is required and appointments can generally be arranged promptly, often within a week of your initial enquiry.
The program is available Australia-wide by telephone or video, so you can participate from home, work or another suitable private location.
Important information
The Parenting After Separation Awareness Program is an educational and behavioural awareness program. It is not Family Dispute Resolution, family therapy, a parenting-capacity assessment, child-protection assessment, psychiatric assessment or emergency service.
If family violence or immediate safety concerns are present, appropriate specialist assistance may also be required.
If anyone is in immediate danger, call Triple Zero (000). For domestic, family or sexual violence information and support, contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
Please also review our Terms & Conditions of Service.
Ready to get started?
No referral is required. Contact Reception confidentially to ask questions or arrange your first session.
Call: 1300 90 81 70
Text: 0419 531 269
Email: reception@northernfrontiers.com.au
You can also contact us online or use the online chat function on this website.
Contact Northern Frontiers
Got a question or three?
Contact our Reception team to confidentially discuss your situation or find out more about any of our services.
There is no obligation to make a booking. If you are simply researching your options or are unsure which service is right for you, we are happy to answer your questions.
Northern Frontiers provides mediation and behavioural awareness programs Australia-wide by phone and video.
Call: 1300 90 81 70
Text or call: 0419 531 269
Email: reception@northernfrontiers.com.au
You can also send us a message using the enquiry form or use the online chat function on this webpage. Your enquiry will be treated confidentially. Please do not include highly sensitive information in the enquiry form.
Phone
+1300 90 81 70
Mobile: 0419 531 269 (text or call)
LiveChat: If you have any questions about our services and don't have time to ring or email, feel free to use the online chat function (bottom right of this page).
Reception Opening Hours
Mon-Fri: 7.30 am – 8.00 pm. Last-minute sessions available for urgent matters. Text message 0419 531 269 for the fastest response.