Stronger parental relationships help children feel safe and secure.
Being a parent or carer isn’t easy. Disagreements, tension and misunderstandings happen in every family, especially when life feels pressured or overwhelming.
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What matters most for children isn’t that adults never argue, but how disagreements are handled and repaired. When parents - whether a couple or co-parenting - find ways to communicate more calmly and respectfully, children feel safer, more settled, and better able to thrive.
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Small changes can make a big difference.
Where this comes from
East Mids Relationships has been created by the ten local authorities across the East Midlands, working together to support children’s wellbeing by improving how adults communicate in family relationships.​The website is part of a shared, region-wide approach to reducing the impact of parental conflict on children - making sure families and professionals receive clear, consistent and non-judgemental support and information, wherever they live in the region.​
What is parental conflict?
There is strong evidence that conflict between parents, whether they live together or are separated, can have a significant negative impact on children’s mental health, well-being, and long-term life chances. Not all conflict is harmful. Children can cope well with disagreements that are calm, short-lived and resolved. However, when conflict is frequent, intense, or poorly resolved, it can affect how safe children feel, how they manage their emotions, and how they behave at home and in school.
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Parental conflict is distinct from domestic abuse, and sits below the threshold of, domestic abuse. It therefore requires a different response, focused on supporting parents and co-parents to communicate more calmly, respectfully and constructively, even during stressful or challenging moments. Small changes in how adults communicate can make a meaningful difference to children’s emotional security and well-being.
See It Differently is a short, interactive resource designed to help parents and carers pause and reflect on how everyday disagreements or tension might feel from a child’s point of view. It’s not about blame or judgement, but about seeing situations differently and thinking about small changes that could help children feel safer and more secure.