Take Part in a New Study of Shared or Co-Parenting

A new study has launched which aims to find out about the experiences of families who are sharing parenting of the children after separation or divorce. This study is the first in the UK to explore family life, family relationships and child development as well as children’s perspectives of ‘shared’ or ‘co-parenting’. Despite the growing number of people sharing care, research looking at family relationships and child wellbeing in the case of joint physical custody has largely taken place in Sweden, the Australia and the US.

Who Can Take Part?

• Co-parents with a child between 4 – 12 years old
• Parents must have been separated for at least 6 months prior to participation and both maintain regular contact with the child(ren)
• Taking part in the study involves being interviewed, filling in questionnaires and a parent-child play activity.
• Participation is confidential and does not require both co-parents to take part. Children are also invited to take part if they wish to.

As a thank you, families will receive a gift voucher.

We have ethical approval from the University of Cambridge.

If you are eligible to participate in this study, contact Dr. Sarah Foley or complete this webform on the University of Cambridge website.

About Dr. Sarah Foley

My name is Dr. Sarah Foley and I’m a psychologist at the Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge. Due to the current climate instead of travelling to visit families, I’ve been skyping/zooming co-parents and their children to talk to them about their experiences of shared parenting. Overall the study aims to increase understanding of parents and children in this family form, provide co-parenting families with a chance to learn about other families in similar situations and inform policy and practice.

I am a member of the Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge, which has an international reputation for its innovative research into ‘new family forms’. The Director of the Centre for Family Research is Prof Susan Golombok who has conducted some of the earliest studies of same-sex parent families and families who have used assisted reproductive technologies.

The study is ongoing and if you’d like to hear more or are interested in sharing your experiences with me, then please complete this webform or email me at sf412@cam.ac.uk or ring 01223 762841.