Mr. Damien Peelo:

It is important to say that shared parenting does not mean equal parenting. It does not mean 50:50 parenting and this is often not in the best interests of the child so we need to examine that. There are serious issues for the non-resident parent, primarily the father, in terms of access to housing. Where there are two children in a family and as such, a need for a two-bedroom house, the non-resident parent will have difficulty getting onto the housing list because the provision is made for the primary carer. There are major issues in this regard.

Shared parenting is about participation in rearing the child in a much more equal way and having a say in that child's life in a much more meaningful way. There is need for dialogue and promotion of what this concept means and how we enforce it.

It is not just about parenting programmes. Unless the mum and dad are engaged in a dialogue, what tends to happen is that for the two days a week a child goes to the dad, he or she may be parented very differently than on the days he or she is with the mother. Shared parenting is about an agreement and the concept of bringing two parents together.