Cardinal O'Brien  Families Need Fathers Scotland notes with interest Cardinal O'Brien's letter to Scottish Catholics on National Marriage Sunday, announcing the establishment of a new Commission for Marriage and the Family and acknowledging the need to support "those who are widowed, separated and divorced and all who need to feel the Church’s maternal care in the circumstances in which they find themselves."

We will write to the Cardinal to offer our ideas on how shared parenting can be promoted after separation, with the hope that this could be considered by the new Commission. 

One example of how religious groups can assist is the Parenting Plans booklet published by Jewish Unity for Multiple Parenting, who campaign for improved relationships between divorced parents and their children in the Jewish community.

As well as general advice on shared parenting the booklet includes suggestions to assist parents to reach agreements to share religious festivals and special occasions with their children so that they can continue to share these important and nurturing religious experiences with both of their parents and their extended families and friends.

As a charity we cannot support any one political party or religious group, but we do seek to engage with a wide range of religious and faith groups. 

We have already met with Catholic, Muslim and Baptist clerics to discuss how separated parents can be helped to work together for the sake of their children.

On Father's Day last year we published comments by the then Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Right Reverend David Arnott on "What my father means to me".