The assumption that contact with both parents is the best thing for a child's welfare is becoming increasingly untenable in the light of what is now known about the nature of so many of the cases that come before the courts.
The assumption that contact with both parents is the best thing for a child's welfare is becoming increasingly untenable in the light of what is now known about the nature of so many of the cases that come before the courts.
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BY Dr KIRSTEEN MACKAY
Rather, what is needed is a more nuanced approach and the acceptance among legal practitioners that sometimes, regrettably, no contact between a child and a parent may actually be the best outcome.
If we are to ensure children are not forced into years of contact that they will find distressing, we need to take all of the following steps: specialist training for family law practitioners; the introduction of minimum standards for reports; the regular review of [the Children's] Reporters' work; and the willingness to admit lawyers may not always be the best people to speak to a child.
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The system is broken - we have to fix it
The assumption that contact with both parents is the best thing for a child's welfare is becoming increasingly untenable in the light of what is now known about the nature of so many of the cases that come before the courts.
Rather, what is needed is a more nuanced approach and the acceptance among legal practitioners that sometimes, regrettably, no contact between a child and a parent may actually be the best outcome.
If we are to ensure children are not forced into years of contact that they will find distressing, we need to take all of the following steps: specialist training for family law practitioners; the introduction of minimum standards for reports; the regular review of [the Children's] Reporters' work; and the willingness to admit lawyers may not always be the best people to speak to a child.
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We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.
Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.
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