Under s. 39(1) of the ''Family Law Act'', a parent is a guardian of their child both while the parents live together and they remain guardians even after the parents separateseparation.

Separation can be extraordinarily difficult on children. In most registries of the Provincial Court, couples are required to attend a Parenting After Separation program. This program, which is <span class="noglossary">brief</span> and free, teaches parents how to communicate with one another after separation and how to talk to their children about separation. It is an extremely useful program, and one which I encourage all separating parents to take. You can find more information about this program and other issues relating to children and separation in the chapter entitled [[Children in Family Law Matters|Children]] chapter, in the section [[Parenting after Separation]].