Relationship Training For Professionals Working With Families
Amity Conference 2026:
How Conflict Between Parents Affects
Children's Mental Health & Development
Bridging the silence to violence spectrum through evidence-informed practice
Conference, Work Station Sheffield Tuesday 14 April 2026, 10am to 4pm
A small £20 registration fee will be charged; all proceeds from this will be donated to a Sheffield domestic abuse charity supporting children.
The event will also be live streamed for those of you who can’t be there in person but we do hope to see as many smiling faces in Sheffield as possible.
We would like to invite you to this Amity conference, with the usual passion from founders, Kate and Emily. It will bring together researchers, practitioners, and leaders in children’s services to explore how different forms of conflict between parents from everyday tensions to domestic abuse shape children’s mental health, development, and life chances.
Drawing on the latest research and frontline experience, the event will consider the “silence to violence” spectrum: how children experience these dynamics, and crucially, how earlier and more relational support can make a difference.
All the way from beautiful University of Cambridge, the keynote address will be delivered by Professor Gordon Harold, whose internationally recognised research has deepened understanding of the impact of inter-parental conflict and domestic abuse on children’s outcomes. We will be using Professor Harold’s insights to help us bridge the gap between academic evidence and day-to-day practice.
We are also delighted to welcome the inspirational legal powerhouse that is Jenny Beck KC, who will offer critical legal and practice insights into how systems respond when family relationships become harmful, and what good, child-centred, decision-making looks like in complex cases.
Alongside these national voices, the conference will showcase innovative examples of good practice from children’s services, including Sheffield and Tameside. These sessions will highlight how areas are translating evidence into action, strengthening assessment, amplifying the voice of the child, and supporting families earlier and more effectively.
By bringing research, law, and lived practice together in one space, Amity aims to equip attendees with greater confidence, clarity, and practical ideas for responding to inter-parental conflict and domestic abuse in ways that better protect and promote children’s mental health and wellbeing.
Lineup
Professor Gordon Harold, University of Cambridge
Professor Harold is the inaugural Professor of the Psychology of Education and Mental Health at the University of Cambridge. He is the Director of the Andrew and Virginia Rudd Research and Professional Practice Centre and is a member of the Bennett School of Public Policy at Cambridge. Gordon’s primary research interests focus on examining the role of domestic experiences and social adversities as factors underlying differences in children’s mental health and development, and utilising innovative research designs to improve our understanding of the interplay between biological, social and psychological factors underpinning differences in child-adolescent mental health and development. He is a passionate advocate and active proponent in taking research beyond the domain of academia to implementing and delivering research-driven innovation to improve real-world outcomes for vulnerable individuals and groups across society. Gordon has been a pioneer of research focusing on the role of the inter-parental relationship for children’s mental health and development, and has significantly shaped policy and practice in this area in the UK and internationally.
Jenny Beck, KC (Hon), Beck Fitzgerald
Jenny Beck is a co-founder of Beck Fitzgerald. She is an award winning family lawyer committed to accessible justice and the rights of the individual. Beck Fitzgerald was set up with a view to providing excellent advice and representation alongside helping to shape the future of family justice by influencing policy to make our system fairer. Jenny specialises in all aspects of divorce, separation, complex financial negotiations and arrangements concerning children. She has particular expertise concerning the impact of domestic abuse on children and families and cases with allegations of alienating behaviours. Recognising that family breakdown involves so much more than the law Jenny is committed to working personally with clients to understand and support their needs in order to help achieve results which are fair.
Kate Nicolle and Emily Nickson, Amity
Kate Nicolle and Emily Nickson founded Amity five years ago with a shared determination to create an organisation where family relationships are valued, protected and strengthened. This aim grew from many years working alongside families and practitioners across the country, seeing first-hand how the quality of adult relationships shapes children’s wellbeing, safety and development. Since then, over 80 local areas have chosen to partner with Amity to support their workforce in understanding family relationships, including parental conflict and domestic abuse. Through practical tools, training and reflective conversations, thousands of frontline practitioners have developed greater confidence to notice, explore and respond to the relational dynamics in front of them. Kate and Emily remain committed to improving outcomes for children by helping services recognise relationship patterns earlier and respond with clarity, curiosity and compassion.
Practice in Action Sessions: transforming research into practice
