What conflict can look like in families
This is what the Government says conflict in families may look like:
Some level of arguing and conflict between parents is often a normal part of everyday life. However, there is strong evidence to show how inter-parental conflict that is frequent, intense and poorly resolved can have a significant negative impact on children’s mental health and long-term life chances.
The Reducing Parental Conflict (RPC) programme is aimed at conflict below the threshold of domestic abuse.
Damaging conflict (below this threshold) between parents can be expressed in many ways such as:
- aggression
- silence
- lack of respect
- lack of resolution
Conflict can affect children in all types of parental relationships, including:
- parents who are in a relationship, whether married or not
- parents who have separated or divorced
- biological and stepparents
- other family members playing a parenting role
- foster and adoptive parents
- same-sex couples