Children's research project appeal

Shay Fulham, project manager with Navan Springboard Family Support Services, is currently undertaking research into the factors that lead to the loss of a key relationship for children, that of an absent parent. He is studying the factors that lead some children to lose contact with their parent following family break-up. Parents want the best for their children and, for most people, that means being part of their life as they grow and develop. Today in Ireland, close on one in five children grow up in a single parent household, over 180,000, according to the 2006 census. Of these 180,000 children, 60,000 to 90,000 have no contact with their non-resident parent. Some claim the greatest affect of family break-up on children, is the loss of an emotionally supportive relationship with the absent parent. Through taking the stories of separated parents who are in touch with their child, Mr Fulham intends to identify the core factors that lead to the loss of this relationship in an Irish context. With this information acquired, Family Support Services will be better able to support children and parents following family break-up in the future. If you are a parent living apart from your child and not in contact with them for a year or more, Mr Fulham would like to hear from you, at Navan Springboard on (046) 907 8220 or email shay@springboardnavan.ie This research is part of an MA he is undertaking in child, family and community studies with the Dublin Institute of Technology.