This book is about the realities behind divorce when looking at the impact caused to the children.

In Putting the Children First When You Divorce, Penelope Leach looks at the impact of divorce on children of all ages and how it can be softened. Using up-to-the-minute research on child welfare and psychology, Penelope Leach, author of the best-selling Your Baby and Child, shows parents why it is crucial to prioritise children caught up in a parental separation, and how to ensure that the child - whether it is the child of the parent or the child of a new partner - is at the forefront of discussion.

Leach's advice covers everything from parental access, custody and financial and legal considerations to helping children manage and enjoy life in two households. The book is full of real-life anecdotes and opinions of children, parents and grandparents whose lives have been affected by divorce, helping the reader to gain awareness of what children of different ages are likely to understand and feel about the process, and assisting the reader in making difficult decisions about handovers, holidays and more. Leach holds up what she calls 'mutual parenting' as the best way forward from divorce, offering concrete ways for parents to put responsiveness to their children's needs ahead of their feelings about each other.

'Penelope Leach's extensive experience of advising parents is at its most valuable here.' Sir Richard Bowlby, President of Centre for Child Mental Health