NACCC attends Amity Conference – exploring the impact of parental conflict on children
NACCC CEO Elizabeth Coe was pleased to attend the Amity Conference 2026, held on Tuesday 14 April in Sheffield.
Bringing together around 100 professionals from across children’s services, the Department for Work and Pensions, and related sectors, the conference explored how conflict between parents, from everyday tensions through to domestic abuse, affects children’s mental health, development, and life chances.
For NACCC, this is a crucial area of focus, and staying informed by the latest research and practice is key to strengthening our approach to safe child contact and protecting children’s wellbeing.
Centred on the theme of bridging the “silence to violence” spectrum, the event highlighted the importance of earlier, relational support for families, and how practitioners can better recognise, understand, and respond to inter-parental conflict.
Keynote speakers and insights
The conference featured a series of expert keynote speakers, combining research, legal insight, and frontline experience.
Professor Gordon Harold, Professor of the Psychology of Education and Mental Health at the University of Cambridge, delivered the keynote address. His speech provided a compelling overview of the evidence base around how conflict between parents impacts children and young people’s mental health and development, and the importance of translating research into evidence-informed practice to reach the professionals working directly with children and families. Professor Harold’s research has helped shape parental conflict and domestic abuse policy and practise across the UK and internationally.
Jenny Beck KC (Hon) delivered “The voice of the child in the family justice system: reimagining possibility”, offering valuable insight into how the family justice system understands and responds when relationships become harmful, and what child-centred decision-making looks like in complex situations. The session explored how professionals across services can better recognise and respond to conflict between parents in ways that protect the children’s wellbeing.
Judith Rees, Chief Operating Officer at the For Baby’s Sake Trust, focused on infant wellbeing, highlighting how parental conflict and domestic abuse can affect babies from the earliest stages of development and reinforcing the importance of early intervention.
From evidence to practice
Alongside keynote sessions, the conference showcased examples of innovative practice from across children’s services.
A session from Tameside Children’s Services introduced the Amity Relationship Dynamic Assessment Tool (ARDAT) – an evidence-informed resource designed to help practitioners understand relationship behaviour dynamics and distinguish between inter-parental conflict and domestic abuse.
ARDAT provides a side-by-side comparison of these dynamics, supporting clearer professional judgement, more effective conversations, and appropriate pathways support for families. It is designed as an early support framework for professionals working with parents and caregivers. Find out more about ARDAT on Amity’s website here.
Sheffield Children’s Services also shared their work on amplifying children’s voices through the Voice of the Child Toolkit, a collection of tools designed to help practitioners better understand and engage with children and young people’s experiences. The toolkit supports professionals in ensuring that children’s perspectives are heard and meaningfully considered in decision-making. A comprehensive list of resources from the toolkit can viewed here.
The event also included a Q&A session with Professor Harold, providing attendees with the opportunity to explore key themes in greater depth.
Supporting children and families
The conference opened with contributions from Amity founders Kate Nicolle and Emily Nickson, alongside Lauren Busby, Service Manager for Haven a Sheffield-based domestic abuse charity supported through conference fundraising.
Elizabeth Coe, Chief Executive of NACCC, said:
“It was a pleasure to attend the Amity Conference and to hear from such a powerful range of speakers and practitioners. The focus on understanding children’s lived experiences of parental conflict and strengthening early, relational support is hugely important and closely aligns with NACCC’s commitment to providing safe child contact services. Events like this are vital in helping us reflect, learn, and continue improving outcomes for children and families.”
Working in partnership
NACCC has previously partnered with Amity and Children First Family Mediation to support the development and delivery of a Separated Parenting Programme. The programme has been delivered to NACCC-accredited centres, supporting those working with separated parents to help families navigate the challenges of separation.
Continuing the conversation
The Amity Conference 2026 highlighted the importance of bringing together research, law, and frontline practice to strengthen understanding of family relationships and their impact on children.
NACCC welcomes opportunities to engage with partners across the sector to share learning and support approaches that place children’s safety, wellbeing, and voices at the centre of practice.