About CHaT First: Children and Teens First

A child-centred website for separated parents and their children developed by the Children and Families in Transition Project

Parental separation can be a very challenging time for all family members, but research indicates that children and young people are particularly vulnerable and often do not receive appropriate assistance or support. This website provides a range of valuable information and activities for children who have experienced parental separation and/or divorce and their parents and other caregivers. The information provided is based on research and will directly assist the children and young people to understand and cope with the changes involved. The parents' section will also assist parents and and/or other caregivers to understand and support their children through the family transition and beyond.

CHaT First (Children and Teens First) is a product of the Children and Families in Transition (CAFIT) project, a partnership between the Centre for Peace, Conflict and Mediation, Hawke research Institute, University of South Australia and Centacare Catholic Family Services (SA), with generous support from the Telstra Foundation. For more information about the CAFIT project please go to our website: www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/cpcm/cafit.asp

A special thank you to the children and young people who reviewed the site for us and to Dr Joan Kelly, Northern California Mediation Centre, for her helpful input and feedback.

The music on the site was written, played and generously donated for our use by Ashton Rudd, Den Aspy, Lou Aspy and Ben Robins, the members of Quest.

We are delighted with the design of the web site which was created by Peter Craig and Grant Pietsch at Blue Onion.