I attended a SPIP (Separated Parents Information Programme) in the summer during being in the family court process with my ex partner. Along with others on the course, I found this video that we were shown, that was produced by CAFCASS very stereotypical against Mothers and not showing a balanced view of the pitfalls that both parents can fall into following a separation. I am in the process of complaining to CAFCASS about this and will take it to my MP if they ignore my concerns.
I felt it viewed like a propaganda video showing single mothers/separated mother's in a certain light which was massively stereotyped. I think if this video was shown in the public forum, many people would find it problematic and I dread to think what would happen if a similar video was shown to people who were on a course that was say designed to help them be more accepting of people in different cultures, yet depicted all the negative stereotypes of people of colour for example.
I am concerned by the way single mothers and women are being represented in this video which is shown nationwide and shown to people who are in the middle of a high conflict and high stress court process - where the SPIP is supposed to be designed to minimise conflict and animosity between ex partners for the benefit of the children, but it was my opinion that this video only served to further perhaps confirm or inform paranoia and prejudice against single mothers or separated Mothers which perhaps is what had sent someone into a court battle in the first place. I am meaning to say that I don't think it would help people to change their behaviour to a more peaceful attitude towards their ex partner's for their children's sake but would serve to do the opposite and perhaps further inflame the situation.
the video was showing - in each scenario, of which I think there were 3 - a stereotypical view of Mothers - that they were putting down the Children's Father in front of the kids, and acting anxious and paranoid whilst the Dad's were represented as victims of this and purely cast in the role of being fun, & well meaning whilst the women were causing all the problems by being angry and bitter.
A number of the participants were shocked by this video including myself and whilst the person who was running the course said there had never been this response before - she also said this was the only course that was actually predominantly women in the room, and I got the feeling perhaps the only time someone had felt brave enough to address out loud what they had been thinking/feeling about the video whilst watching it. As soon as I voiced my concerns, lots of other people in the course said that was exactly what they had been thinking but hadn't wanted to say it out loud in front of the group. Given the fact a lot of the participants of the SPIP said they felt very nervous about sharing in front of the group, and many were visibly upset to be so raw and vulnerable in front of a group of strangers, I can imagine that across the country, when seeing this video, people probably wouldn't feel the confidence to complain at the time.
Let me know if you have attended a SPIP and what your experience was if you can remember this video that was shown. The scenarios involved actors portraying certain scenarios - one showed a Mother dropping her 2 kids off anxiously at a contact centre to see their Dad, initially being positive to the kids, then after the kids hesitated that they weren't sure they wanted to go in the Mother started being portrayed as overly anxious and "crazy" wringing her hands at the door saying in front of the kids to the Contact centre worker "Will he even know how to look after them? Will they be ok? What will happen?" then the kids being absolutely fine as soon as they got in the Contact Centre, the Contact centre worker being "interviewed" to camera saying "I've never so many times seen kids go from nervous outside to so happy inside" as they kids run up to their Dad and the Dad is emotionally embracing them and being super fun, giving them presents etc. Another scenario showed newly separated parents both generally being awkward whilst doing a birthday party together for one of their kids - the Mum was portrayed rolling her eyes & making negative comments about the Dad constantly in front of the kids whilst the Dad was portrayed as just trying to help and be fun and positive and then complaining in an "interview" to camera afterwards that she always had a go at him and "had a face on her".
Those were the 2 scenarios that I remembered.
Interested to hear other people's views who have attended a SPIP.