Parenting in Separated Families: Implications for Child Maintenance and Social Welfare Policy

This CPC-CG Webinar took place on Thursday 15 October 2026 at 12:00 UK Time. Susan Harkness, Professor of Public Policy at the University of Bristol delivered a presentation, entitled: "Parenting in Separated Families: Implications for Child Maintenance and Social Welfare Policy". Title: Parenting in Separated Families: Implications for Child Maintenance and Social Welfare Policy Abstract: Almost one-half of children are expected to experience their parents’ separation by the time they reach adulthood, and most children whose parents separate continue to live with their mothers. At the same time, fathers are playing an increasingly active role in caring for their children, raising important questions about parenting in separated families and how policy should respond. Using longitudinal data from Understanding Society (2010–2024), this paper examines non-resident fathers’ involvement in their children’s lives, focusing on child maintenance, contact and shared care. The results suggest that fathers are increasingly involved in children’s lives following separation, but financial and non-financial involvement do not always go hand-in-hand. This is particularly the case among parents who never lived together. The paper considers what changing patterns of post-separation parenting mean for the design of child maintenance and social security policy, including how policy should support parental involvement when parents live in separate households.