Empowering Families, Protecting Children
Overview
Divorce or separation are challenging experiences for families, particularly when high inter-parental conflict is involved. These conflicts can have lasting negative effects on children’s emotional, social, and academic development. Putting Children First* is a groundbreaking project dedicated to addressing the unique needs of families experiencing high-conflict separation or divorce through innovative, evidence-based solutions.
Why It Matters
Research shows that it’s not divorce itself that causes adverse outcomes for children, but the prolonged exposure to conflict, including unresolved anger, lack of trust, hostile communication, and legal disputes. While most parents manage to reduce conflict over time, for 10-25% of families, these issues persist and pose significant risks to children. Despite widespread access to universal parenting education, existing interventions fail to adequately support families dealing with extreme conflict. This gap leaves parents and children without the tools they need to thrive.
Our Mission
Putting Children First aims to close this gap by developing Kids Over Conflict, a highly scalable online platform designed specifically for parents dealing with high conflict. By integrating practical strategies and motivational tools, the intervention empowers parents to prioritize their children’s well-being.
Phase II Is Underway
We are excited to share that we have officially launched Phase II of the project! In this phase, we are:
- Refining the course content based on feedback from family court professionals, parents, and researchers.
- Creating multimedia lessons and interactive tools to support parents through the most difficult aspects of separation and co-parenting.
- Preparing for a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) in collaboration with family courts to evaluate the program’s effectiveness.
- Building partnerships to help us ensure the final product is both impactful and easy to implement.
This new phase marks a major step forward in making Kids Over Conflict a practical, evidence-based tool that can be scaled nationwide to serve the families who need it most.
Key Features
- Evidence-Based Approach: Adapted from proven parenting interventions, Kids Over Conflict focuses on providing resources to support parallel parenting, a strategy shown to be more effective for families experiencing high conflict.
- Motivational Support: Motivational interviewing strategies will be integrated into the resources to help parents engage with the program and make meaningful changes for their children.
- Tailored Design: Developed in collaboration with judicial stakeholders and family court systems to ensure accessibility and relevance.
- Practical Tools: Easy-to-use resources and training modules designed to reduce stress, improve parenting confidence, and enhance parent-child relationships.
Please sign up to receive updates on the project and also let us know if you want to get involved.
Together, we can create a brighter future for children and families navigating conflict.
*This project is supported by Grant #R44 HD111084-01A1 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Its contents are solely the authors’ responsibility and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.