February 15th. 2000 saw the official launch of "Coping with Family Change" - which was featured on a variety of national and local TV and Radio programmes.

The Launch, at the headquarters of District 1130 in the heart of London, was performed by Jenny Agutter, actress and vice-president of NCH Action for Children. Ms. Agutter said "Life is so tough for children of all ages these days without the added stress of family breakdown." She went on to say, "The issue of family breakdown worries and confuses children who often have little access to information on the subject."

As with 'Coping with Bullying', 'Coping with Family Change' tackles a difficult topic in a constructive and helpful way. It is the most 'up-to-date' and comprehensive resource available. To achieve this we approached leading experts in the field and included the strategies and ideas that have had proven success, not only in the UK but in other countries. Input has been received from around the world, including Ireland, Australia and the USA. The CD-ROM has been produced in consultation with most of the major organisations concerned with the problems of family change.

During the production of the first programme, 'Coping with Bullying', teachers requested that the second programme in the series should be 'Coping with Family Change'. The breakdown of families as a result of separation and divorce and the consequent creation of step families is a major problem that teachers encounter on a daily basis, yet they have little by way of guidance or resources to help the children. The worries and fears that children experience during these difficult times are often neglected and frequently misunderstood. Programme 2 offers advice and assistance to teachers, families and children.

All the content has been reviewed and co-ordinated by Joan Collinson who has over 30 years experience of dealing with these problems. She is well known for her training of counsellors and for her publications aimed at parents and children. The programme was reviewed in schools in eight local education authorities around the UK and their feedback was used to modify the programme prior to release.

The content of the programme is very child centred with a particular emphasis on children who have experienced the problems passing on their help and advice to their peers. This peer support strategy is a feature of the Bullying disc that has been regarded as extremely powerful and very helpful for other children.