Suchergebnisse

AbstractUsing longitudinal archival Child Welfare System (CWS) data, this study describes child health and wellbeing at their initial entrance into the CWS and subsequent returns. Associations between child wellbeing, health, placement stability, and frequency of returning to the system were also investigated. Results indicated most children were healthy and developmentally on target. In addition, emotional distress, behavioral concerns, and number of placements in the CWS were significantly correlated with placement stability. Future work should utilize the use of developmental assessments to systematically and reliably document the concerns for children in the system, and investigate factors contributing to stable placements.

AbstractIntimate partner violence (IPV) is a leading cause of separation and/or divorce. IPV may not stop after separation, as parents who use IPV can continue intruding in the lives of parents who experience IPV due to unsafe parenting arrangements that allow continued frequent contact and thus risk further abuse. Therefore, it is critical that separating/divorcing parents be assessed for IPV and ongoing safety concerns. Parenting arrangements (e.g., physical and legal custody, parenting time) may not include the appropriate protections if IPV has not been uncovered and/or considered. Unfortunately, many existing IPV screens for family court processes have limitations. The Mediator's Assessment of Safety Issues and Concerns‐Short (MASIC‐S) was designed to address these limitations. Results from the MASIC‐S may be used to inform and create parenting arrangements in the best interest of the child. We provide recommendations on how MASIC‐S results can guide family court practitioners in parenting arrangement disputes. These recommendations are based on the existing literature and guidelines regarding the relationship between parenting arrangements and child‐wellbeing following separation/divorce in the context of IPV. We also discuss areas in which additional research is needed to help determine parenting arrangements most suitable for separating/divorcing parents with a history of IPV.

AbstractFamily courts are increasingly interested in online parenting programs for divorcing and separating parents, particularly during the COVID‐19 pandemic. To our knowledge, no previous study has evaluated the barriers to and facilitators of parent participation in these programs for family law cases. We interviewed 61 parents in the midst of family law cases regarding their perspectives. While many parents viewed online parent programs positively (e.g., convenient), they also reported barriers to participation (e.g., technology problems). We offer recommendations (e.g., communication about program benefits) to support courts as they decide whether to continue ordering online parent programs following the pandemic.

AbstractUsing data from a study examining forms of mediation designed to be safer for separating parents reporting high levels of intimate partner violence (IPV; Holtzworth‐Munroe, Applegate, et al., 2021; Holtzworth‐Munroe, Beck, et al., 2021), the current study compares three groups, cases that reached mediation agreement ("mediation agreement group"), did not reach mediation agreement and returned to court ("no mediation agreement group"), or went to court without attempting mediation ("court group"). Ninety‐eight cases started mediation and 68% did not reach agreement. Sixty‐six cases went to court without mediation. The mediation agreement group reported better outcomes, immediately (e.g., felt safer, less upset, higher satisfaction, faster case resolution, more likely to address issues and interparental communication limits) and one‐year later (e.g., higher satisfaction, fewer court orders), than the other groups. The court group only differed from both mediation groups on a few measures (e.g., lower satisfaction, less likely to exchange children at parents' homes). The no mediation agreement group reported more negative outcomes than one or both other groups (e.g., less satisfaction, more harassment from other parent, less social support at follow‐up). In mediation designed to be safer for cases reporting high levels of IPV and with parties willing to try mediation, reaching agreement was associated with positive outcomes, and not reaching agreement was associated with potentially concerning outcomes. Research is needed to identify risk factors for not reaching agreement. Additional services may need to be provided to such cases.