Parenting programs after separation: what works and how to find one

If a court has told you to take a parenting course, it can feel like one more hoop. If no one has, you may be wondering whether a course would actually help your child, or whether it is just a certificate. Both are fair questions, and the research gives a clearer answer than you might expect. Either way, the fact that you are looking says something good about the parent you are trying to be.

In short: short information sessions are useful for understanding the process but should not be expected to change your child's long-term wellbeing. A small number of longer, skills-based programs have stronger evidence, and one of them, the New Beginnings Program, has followed children into adulthood.

Two different kinds of program

What the research says

Information and education programs

A 2011 meta-analysis of court-affiliated programs for divorcing parents pooled 19 studies with a no-program comparison group. It found an overall moderate positive effect on outcomes including co-parenting conflict, parent-child relationships, child and parent well-being and returns to court, while noting "important methodological limitations" in the studies.

A larger and more recent meta-analysis, published in 2024, pooled 40 studies of education programs for separating and divorcing parents. It found a small positive effect overall, but "these small effects were not maintained at follow-up." The studies also varied a great deal.

The fair reading: a general class can give you useful information and a common language with your co-parent, and you should complete it properly if it is required. But on current evidence, it is not enough on its own to protect your child's long-term mental health.

The New Beginnings Program

New Beginnings was developed at Arizona State University. The developers describe it as a 10-session program that teaches parents skills to build warm relationships and open communication, use effective discipline, and keep children out of the middle of conflict between parents. Its evidence includes:

• A six-year follow-up of a randomised trial (published 2002). In a US city, 218 families were followed up when the adolescents were 15 to 19. In the group where mothers and children both took part, 11% of adolescents had a diagnosed mental disorder in the past year, compared with 23.5% in the comparison group, which received books. The trial included mothers only.
• A 15-year follow-up of the same trial (2013). Young adults whose mothers took part had lower rates of internalising disorders, such as anxiety and depression, over 15 years (15.52% compared with 34.62%). Young men had fewer substance-related disorders. In fairness, young women in the program reported more alcohol use in the past month than those in the comparison group.
• A larger trial in community settings (2020), with 830 mothers and fathers of children aged 3 to 18, recruited through family courts in four US counties and delivered by community providers. It found benefits for parenting and for children's mental health problems at the end of the program and 10 months later. Many benefits were seen for non-Hispanic White families but not for Hispanic families, and the authors point to a need for cultural adaptation.

Further analysis of the earlier trial found that improvements in mothers' effective discipline and in the mother-child relationship helped explain the benefits for children. That is the core of the program: not information, but practised skills.

A 2016 evidence review for the UK government (Early Intervention Foundation) adds a point worth knowing when you choose. It found that "just targeting the parental-child relationship in the context of ongoing inter-parental conflict does not lead to sustained positive outcomes for children." Programs that also help you keep children out of the middle of adult conflict, as New Beginnings does, are working on both.

Programs in Canada

Requirements and programs are set by each province and territory. These were confirmed on official pages at the time of writing.

• Ontario: Mandatory Information Program (MIP). For parties in Ontario family court cases, and open to people not in court. Both parties must attend as a first step in a case, with some exceptions. Available at family court locations or online through family mediation and information service providers. ontario.ca/page/family-justice-services
• British Columbia: Parenting After Separation (PAS). Free, online, about three hours, with registration. May be required in Provincial Court cases; otherwise voluntary. Available in English, French and Punjabi, and as PAS for Indigenous Families, with a certificate of completion. gov.bc.ca: Parenting After Separation
• Alberta: Parenting After Separation (PAS) and PAS for Families in High Conflict. Required before filing a divorce or Family Law Act application in the Court of King's Bench, or if a judge directs. The high-conflict course is taken separately by each party, after PAS. A PAS course for Indigenous families complements, but does not replace, PAS. alberta.ca/pas
• Manitoba: For the Sake of the Children. Mandatory under court rules for parents seeking or responding to certain parenting orders, with exceptions; also open to guardians, grandparents and other family. An eCourse is available. gov.mb.ca: For the Sake of the Children
• Nova Scotia: Parenting Information Program (PIP). Mandatory when an application involving children is filed in the Supreme Court (Family Division). Virtual sessions (each party in a different session) or a one-hour online module in English and French. nsfamilylaw.ca: PIP
• Other provinces and territories. Justice Canada keeps a directory of parent education and information programs by province and territory, including programs in Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Newfoundland and Labrador. Justice Canada: family justice services by province

There is no single federal parenting course. The courses called "Parenting After Separation" are run by British Columbia and Alberta.

Programs in the US

Requirements are set state by state, and in some states classes are run at county level, so start with your court.

• Your state or county court. As one example, Arizona requires a Parent Education Program for parents in divorce, separation or annulment cases and for unmarried parents asking the court to decide custody, parenting time or child support. Each county runs in-person or online classes and sets the cost, under minimum standards set by the Arizona Supreme Court. azcourts.gov: Parent Education Program
• Parents Forever (University of Minnesota Extension). For parents and caregivers of children going through divorce, separation or a custody change. At time of writing: an 8-hour online course for Minnesota residents at $89, approved by the Minnesota Supreme Court, and a 4-hour online course for non-Minnesota residents at $69. An Indiana version is offered through Purdue Extension. The university advises checking that your judge or attorney will accept it. extension.umn.edu: Parents Forever

Skills-based programs in both countries

• eNew Beginnings (eNBP). An online version of New Beginnings from the Arizona State University REACH Institute, with separate versions for mothers and fathers and court-referred and non-court-referred tracks. Fully online, at your own pace, on any device: a 6-week format (about 3 hours) or a 10-week format (about 5 hours), one unit a week. Certificates of completion are offered only for the 6-session program. At time of writing, the 6-session program was listed at $49 and the 10-session program at $69 (USD), and the first session could be tried free. Enrolment is through divorceandparenting.com. The trial results above come from the in-person group program; the online version is built on it, but do not assume identical results. reachinstitute.asu.edu: New Beginnings
• Family Transitions Triple P. For parents "whose separation or divorce is complicating their parenting". Delivered by trained practitioners in individual or group sessions, with a parent workbook, so availability and cost depend on your local provider. A randomised trial of the program has been published; we have not summarised its results here because we could not review them. triplep.net: specialist programs

How to choose

1. Start with what your court requires. If a specific course is required, do that one first. Check whether a different course will be accepted before paying for it.
2. Then ask what you want from a program. Information about the process, or help with your parenting? If your child is struggling, or conflict is high, a skills-based program is the better fit.
3. Look for practice, not just slides. Programs with the strongest evidence ask you to try skills at home between sessions.
4. Check the fit. Language, culture, Indigenous-specific versions, versions for fathers and for mothers, and high-conflict versions all exist in some places.
5. Consider format. Online and self-paced courses suit shift workers and parents with young children; groups give you contact with other parents.

If you would like your co-parent to take a program too, suggest it as something for the children, not as a verdict on their parenting.

And if your child asks why you are doing a course:

Questions to ask a provider:

• Is this program based on one that has been tested in a randomised trial? Which one?
• How many sessions, and is there practice between them?
• Will my court accept the certificate?
• Do both parents attend together, separately, or either way?
• What does it cost, and are there reduced fees?

A program is not therapy

A parenting program builds your skills. It is not treatment for a child who is struggling, or for you. A clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics notes that age-appropriate explanation, counselling and referral to professionals may help reduce the potential negative effects of divorce. If your child shows signs that persist or get worse, such as anxiety, sadness, changes in eating or sleep, trouble at school or aggressive behaviour (signs the Canadian Paediatric Society suggests raising with a doctor), talk to your doctor and see the local services below. Our guide to signs your child is struggling goes into this by age.

If there is family violence: programs that bring both parents into the same room or the same online session may not be safe. Some programs, such as Alberta's high-conflict course and Nova Scotia's virtual sessions, are taken separately by each parent. Tell the provider or the court about safety concerns. Read our guide to separation and safety planning. Press Shift+Esc to leave this site quickly.

Sources

1. Saini M, Corrente S. Educating for change: a meta-analysis of education programs for separating and divorcing parents. Family Court Review. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12801
2. Fackrell TA, Hawkins AJ, Kay NM. How effective are court-affiliated divorcing parents education programs? A meta-analytic study. Family Court Review. 2011. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-1617.2010.01356.x
3. Wolchik SA, Sandler IN, Millsap RE, et al. Six-year follow-up of preventive interventions for children of divorce: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2002. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.288.15.1874
4. Wolchik SA, Sandler IN, Tein JY, et al. Fifteen-year follow-up of a randomized trial of a preventive intervention for divorced families. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 2013. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033235
5. Sandler I, Wolchik S, Mazza G, et al. Randomized effectiveness trial of the New Beginnings Program for divorced families with children and adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2018.1540008
6. Zhou Q, Sandler IN, Millsap RE, Wolchik SA, Dawson-McClure SR. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76(4), 579 to 594. 2008. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.76.4.579
7. REACH Institute, Arizona State University. New Beginnings Program. Undated. https://reachinstitute.asu.edu/new-beginnings-program
8. REACH Institute, Arizona State University. New Beginnings (eNew Beginnings online program). Undated; enrolment via divorceandparenting.com. https://reachinstitute.asu.edu/programs/new-beginnings
9. Stallman HM, Sanders MR. A randomized controlled trial of Family Transitions Triple P. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage. 2014. https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2013.862091
10. Triple P. Specialist programs: Family Transitions Triple P. Undated. https://www.triplep.net/glo-en/the-triple-p-system-at-work/the-system-explained/specialist-programs/
11. Government of Ontario. Family justice services: Mandatory information program. https://www.ontario.ca/page/family-justice-services
12. Government of British Columbia. Parenting After Separation. Updated 2026. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/life-events/divorce/family-justice/who-can-help/family-justice-services-division/pas
13. Government of Alberta. Parenting After Separation. https://www.alberta.ca/pas
14. Government of Manitoba. For the Sake of the Children. https://www.gov.mb.ca/familylaw/parenting/for-the-sake-of-the-children.html
15. Nova Scotia Family Law. Parenting Information Program (PIP). https://www.nsfamilylaw.ca/programs-services/parenting-information-program-pip
16. Department of Justice Canada. Provincial and territorial family justice services (directory page). Undated. https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/fl-df/fjs-sjf/bfjs-sjfb/fis-sif.html
17. Arizona Courts (azcourts.gov). Parent Education Program. https://www.azcourts.gov/familylaw/Child-Support-Family-Law-Information/Parent-Education-Program
18. University of Minnesota Extension. Parents Forever. https://extension.umn.edu/community/family-and-wellness/raising-kids/parents-forever
19. Harold G, Acquah D, Sellers R, Chowdry H, Feinstein L. What works to enhance inter-parental relationships and improve outcomes for children. Early Intervention Foundation. 2016. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-works-to-enhance-inter-parental-relationships-and-improve-outcomes-for-children
20. Cohen GJ, Weitzman CC, AAP Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health. Helping children and families deal with divorce and separation. Pediatrics. 2016. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-3020
21. Canadian Paediatric Society. Helping children cope with separation and divorce. Caring for Kids. 2018. https://caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/mentalhealth/separation_and_divorce

This guide is general information for parents, not medical, psychological or legal advice. It draws on published research and guidance from recognised health and family justice bodies, listed under Sources. Every child and family is different. If you are worried about your child or yourself, talk to your family doctor or a qualified professional. FairWell can help you find one through the professional directory.