Mandatory ‘divorce course’ for Danish parents splitting up

Copenhagen: Gone are the days in Denmark when parents could get a divorce with a simple online click – now they have to complete a course before their marriage can be dissolved.

As part of a new divorce law that entered into force on Monday, parents with children under the age of 18 who want to end their marriage must take a 30-minute online course designed to help them and their children adapt as smoothly as possible to their new situation.

There is also a new three-month reflection period before a divorce is finalised.

With almost half of all marriages ending in divorce in Denmark, the course has been designed as an aid to improve communication and avoid some common pitfalls that can arise when a family breaks up.

“The digital course answers some of the most fundamental questions that you are left with during a divorce,” Denmark’s Ministry of Children and Social Security said.

If parents fail to complete the course – which is available online or on a mobile phone app – within the three-month waiting period, the couple will remain married.

Set up by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, the programme has 17 modules offering concrete solutions to potential conflicts, ranging from how to handle birthday parties to how to talk to your children when they are upset.

“It’s a good start,” Trine Schaldemose, the deputy head of family help association Moedrehjaelpen, said, saying an online course was an “easy and cheap decision”.

But, she noted, it was only helpful “if the conflict level between parents is not too high”.

Until now, Danes seeking a mutually consensual divorce have been able to do so by submitting a form online, requiring no judge nor waiting period.