Family court issues skyrocketing in Christchurch
Christchurch Father and Child support worker Cliff Shepherd was quoted in a recent Stuff article by Anna Turner.
Many separated parents are attempting to leave the city with their children, because of stress caused by the earthquakes.
In most case, judges do not consider this an acceptable excuse, and they are made to return the children to Christchurch.
Family court issues are skyrocketing
The Christchurch branch of the Father and Child Trust has been stretched to capacity over parenting issues.
Support worker Cliff Shepherd said frequently when relationships broke up, one parent returned to their hometown.
“We’ve also seen some fathers who lost their jobs in the earthquake moving to a new place for work. When they come back, their partner has often moved on with someone else.”
The parent left behind often struggled to cope.
“It can be really hard on families,” Shepherd said.
