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Research on fathering has substantially increased but we still know relatively little about whether and how fathers' own perspectives on their parenting differ across a variety of family situations. We estimate associations between nonresident fathers' family types and nonresident fathers' perceptions of the quality of their parenting and their relationships with their children, using data from the Child Support Noncustodial Parent Employment Demonstration program on lower-income nonresident fathers (n = 5,835) and logistic regressions. High-quality parenting is more likely to be reported by nonresident fathers with multiple-partner fertility and both resident and nonresident children than either those with multiple-partner fertility and only nonresident children or those with single-partner fertility. High-quality relationships with children are more likely to be reported by those with single-partner fertility than those with multiple-partner fertility. These findings suggest the importance of resident children in fathers' perceptions of their parenting and highlight the difficulties of parenting across multiple households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of children affected by family dissolution is increasing worldwide. Beneficially, a growing number of both parents desire to remain active in their children's lives, favouring the practice of shared care. Unfortunately, this has introduced new dilemmas that can negatively impact children's well-being. One example is the controversial topic of travelling children, who have become 'visitors' traversing between their parent's households. The bird's nest arrangement, a child-centred shared parenting system wherein the child resides in a single home while the parents rotate living with them, can resolve this problem. Despite its unique focus, few studies have investigated its application or the effects of the arrangement. To identify factors related to the child's best interests, this work qualitatively explored the experiences of Estonian parents who chose a bird's nest arrangement. Parents recruited through purposive sampling underwent in-depth, semi-structured interviews from March 2020 to January 2021. Bird's nest parenting was found to be guided by the parents' desire to act in the best interests of their children, holding the view that children should not suffer due to parents' separation. The post-divorce physical setting was found to impact the child's health and well-being as the preservation of a single familiar home was associated with multiple advantages like avoiding adjustment problems, ensuring stability and improving relations. While also viable for long-term solutions, nesting was considered particularly useful for the transitional period following separation, as it minimised sudden, harmful changes. The arrangement was perceived as beneficial for both children and parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successful implementation of early interventions (EIs) within families is crucial in mitigating language and developmental delays in young children. Considering that language acquisition primarily occurs through interactions between caregivers and children, parental involvement plays a significant role in EI services. Working within families where one parent interferes with the involvement of the child's other parent or caregiver can be challenging for service providers. This article examines parental gatekeeping—a concept from the family science literature that can have a significant impact on services provided by speech language pathologists (SLPs). We outline and provide examples of family dynamics that may pose challenges to SLPs working with young children and their families as well as provide strategies for effectively navigating and working within these dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detrimental effects of parental break‐up on children's mental health are well‐documented. However, research has also shown that children living in joint physical custody (JPC) arrangements often fare better than children living in sole physical custody (SPC) arrangements. Thus, the question arises: What are the differences between JPC and SPC that account for those results? Drawing on data from the Family Models in Germany (FAMOD) study conducted in 2019, structural equation models (SEM) were estimated to deduct the mediating role of coparenting support in children's mental health in 465 JPC and 652 SPC families with children aged 2–14. The findings suggest that the better mental health observed among children in JPC families than among children in SPC families was fully mediated by coparenting support. However, this held true only for internalizing and externalizing behavior, but not for prosocial behavior as no differences between JPC and SPC were found for this dimension. The findings affirm the importance of supportive coparenting for children's well‐being after family dissolution in both SPC and JPC arrangements. After breaking up, parents should be supported in their parental engagement through coparenting counseling or psychoeducation classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a long history of dissension among legal and mental health professionals about the value of child custody evaluations. Despite frequent use by the courts, the lack of adequate empirical research impedes the ability to validate the efficacy of child custody evaluations. This study investigated the overall value of court‐ordered child custody evaluations by surveying a diverse, national sample of judges to gather data regarding the usefulness, and validity of child custody evaluations. Two hundred and sixty‐eight judges from 42 states completed an anonymous survey. The results indicated that judges find information voiced by the child in question, data obtained from the parent–child observations, and collateral data obtained about the litigants as most useful. Survey findings suggested judges perceived there to be a shortage of trained evaluators and also consider child custody evaluations too expensive and too time‐consuming. Overall, judges find child custody evaluations useful and clearly desire experts to include recommendations on legal custody and parenting time schedules in their reports. Key points for the family court community: Survey results indicated that judges find information voiced by the child in question, data obtained from the parent–child observations, and collateral data obtained about the litigants as the most useful elements of child custody evaluations.Judges perceived there to be a shortage of trained child custody evaluators and also considered child custody evaluations too expensive and too time‐consuming.Judges concluded that child custody evaluations are useful and clearly desire experts to include recommendations on legal custody and parenting time schedules in their reports.Most judges reported they would exclude a child custody evaluation or parts of it if convincing evidence were presented that the evaluator did not meet legal standards or ethical guidelines, even though most had never done so.Evaluators should reexamine the focus of child custody evaluations to present more child‐centered reports to the court based on the data obtained in this study that judges want to know more about the child or children in question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate 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. Key points for the family court community: The use of an IPV screen in family law is necessary for effectively considering how to increase the safety and improve the outcomes of parents and children during and after the separation or divorce process.We offer recommendations, based on existing research, to help family law practitioners effectively screen for IPV among separating and/or divorcing parents.We introduce two versions of the Mediator's Assessment of Safety Issues and Concerns‐Short (MASIC‐S), an IPV screening tool we developed for family law practitioners and discuss how MASIC‐S screening results can assist practitioners in disputes over parenting arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As expectations rise for parenting plan evaluators to be well‐trained, skilled, and knowledgeable in numerous subject areas, and scrutiny of evaluators' work intensifies, the pool of qualified evaluators is shrinking nationwide. The future of parenting plan evaluation as a forensic subspecialty relies upon the availability of competent and committed professionals to do this challenging work, yet few are entering the field. Five experienced parenting plan evaluators from various regions of the United States, including the authors, met for a roundtable discussion to ponder the future of parenting plan evaluations. The panel discussed what drew them to the work, their experiences "in the trenches," and what has kept them committed to doing evaluations despite daunting challenges. Their views of the rewards and risks of doing the work, barriers and disincentives to newcomers entering the field, recommendations to new evaluators, and outlook for the future are presented. Key points for the family court community: Parenting plan evaluation ("PPE") is a well‐established forensic subspecialty with rigorous expectations for training, skills, and knowledge. Scrutiny of the work can be high and professional risks daunting.Despite rising costs, the need for comprehensive PPEs that are well‐rooted in science, scholarship, and the law continues for a relatively small portion of family law cases.Keeping costs down in order to adequately serve the number of children and families in need is a constant pressure on PPEs.Systemic disincentives and barriers for those who would otherwise enter the field are likely contributing to the dwindling pool of qualified evaluators rather than challenges of the work itself.Preparing and incentivizing experienced evaluators to serve as supervisors and consultants to new PPEs is much needed, along with triaging cases to match them with appropriate services. Effective and affordable alternatives to comprehensive PPEs are also needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standards of practice for parenting plan evaluations continue to evolve, informed by advances in research and the development of innovative, evidence‐based approaches to assessment and intervention. Parenting plan evaluators are asked to inform the court, parents, and other professionals on how to address the complex needs of increasingly diverse families amid reorganization, high conflict, and crisis. How can we attract and properly train new mental health professionals to do important work in an increasingly strained adversarial system? How can evaluators keep up with these advances over the course of their careers? How can they deepen and refine their skills to work with a diverse array of individuals, family constellations and an enormous range of family circumstances? And how can evaluators care for their own well‐being and their colleagues? In this article, the authors describe a multi‐dimensional approach to training both new and experienced custody evaluators that includes imparting baseline knowledge on how to conduct quality parenting plan evaluations as a starting point. We discuss a variety of modalities and approaches that can enable evaluators to deepen and expand their skills over the years, contribute to the diverse community of family law professionals, and manage the exceptional demands of working in this field. Key points for the family court community: The practice of conducting child custody evaluations (CCEs), also known as parenting plan evaluations (PPEs), is a specialty area of forensic psychology practice that requires tremendous breadth and depth of knowledge regarding psychological principles, legal policies, and ever‐changing professional guidelines.At the same time, professionals in the field are being strained by the increasingly adversarial nature of not only conducting evaluations, but work product review, litigation, and grievance processes. As such, professionals are seemingly wary of beginning or continuing to serve as evaluators.There is a tremendous need to recruit, train, and retain new evaluators who will feel prepared and supported to practice in this challenging field given the aging demographics of the current profession, as well as the increasingly diverse demographics of the families being served.Current and future training programs are encouraged to address not only foundational areas of knowledge that are essential to conducting PPEs, but a greater understanding of ways to manage the emotional stress, risk management issues, and professional burnout for new and current evaluators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The boundaries around what parenting plan evaluators should and should not say in their reports to Courts has been debated in both mental health and legal circles for decades. The controversy about whether parenting plan evaluators should make specific recommendations to Courts regarding access plans and decision‐making rights revolves around varied views of the limits of mental health professionals' knowledge about such matters, whether they are socio‐moral or psychological in nature, and the benefits to children and society of facilitating case‐resolution. In the conversation presented below a seasoned family law attorney and a psychologist who is a frequent critic of the practice of making specific recommendations debate this area of controversy. Key points for the family court community: The contours of what parenting plan evaluators should and should not say in their reports has been a controversial issue in both the legal and mental health fields.Both the desire by courts and attorneys to have access to helpful information about families and the limitations of the relevant research literature need to be carefully weighed by practitioners.Evaluators should carefully consider the arguments for and against making specific parenting plan recommendations for the courts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parenting plan Assessments, also known as child custody evaluations, are forensic psychological investigations into the needs of children, the parenting capacities of their caregivers, and the resulting fit between the children's needs and caregiver capacities. Typically, they result in recommendations that are, in the opinion of the assessor, formulated to meet the best interests of children regarding a parenting plan, child sharing, parental responsibilities and ancillary services that are likely to support the children's optimal functioning as well as the functioning of the now reconfigured family. Such assessments are part of a pathway to untangling conflicts between the parents regarding the most appropriate parenting plan for the reconfigured family. Paradoxically, the assessment process can exacerbate the conflict, entrench parental polarization, and create lingering feelings of helplessness, frustration, and disempowerment in the parents. This article provides a rationale for the use of a hybrid process that incorporates alternative dispute resolution as an integrated part of the parenting plan assessment and provides an illustrative model of such a hybrid process. Key points for the family court community: Parenting plan evaluations can include a settlement componentWhen a hybrid model is used, its incorporation into the evaluation should be specified in the appointment orderNot all cases are suited for a hybrid model of parenting plan evaluationEthical issues must be contemplated prior to using a hybrid parenting plan evaluation model and during its useEvaluators who use the hybrid model must have competence in dispute resolution [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following parental separation, fathers' greater or lesser parental involvement relative to the other parent may be differently accounted for by father, child, and coparental factors. A representative sample of 671 separated fathers completed questionnaires two and four years after separation. For fathers less involved than the other parent, a better coparenting relationship accounts for greater T1 involvement, but predicts a decrease in involvement by T2. For fathers more involved than the other parent, a better coparenting relationship accounts for more balanced involvement of both parents at T1 and T2. For all fathers, more custody time accounts for greater T1 and T2 involvement and greater psychological well-being accounts for greater T1 involvement. Implications for intervention and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article focuses on the impact of the legalization of recreational marijuana on custody matters in Minnesota, U.S. It explores how family courts navigate issues such as parental marijuana use, impairment testing, implicit biases, and precedents from other states. It discusses the need for clearer guidelines and ongoing research into the effects of marijuana on parenting and child behavior.

Families (and sometimes courts) make important decisions regarding child physical custody arrangements post‐separation, and shared parenting arrangements are increasingly common in most developed countries. Shared arrangements may be differentially associated with parental satisfaction, and these associations may vary across countries. Using data from surveys of separated mothers in Wisconsin and Finland, the present study explores this possibility and is guided by three aims: (a) to identify child and family characteristics associated with sole and shared child placements 6 or more years after separation; (b) to estimate associations of children's post‐separation placements with maternal satisfaction with placements and expense sharing; (c) to examine whether the relationship between post‐separation placement and maternal satisfaction varies by mothers' earnings and the quality of parents' relationships. We find that Finnish mothers with shared placement are more satisfied with their placement than are their counterparts with sole placement, while we find the inverse is true for Wisconsin mothers. Moreover, parental satisfaction with shared placement, overall and relative to sole placement, varies greatly depending on the quality of a mother's relationship with the other parent; and differences in relationship quality in Wisconsin and Finland may help explain the difference in satisfaction with shared placement in the two locations. In both Finland and Wisconsin, we find mothers with shared placement are more satisfied with the way expenses are shared between parents than are mothers with sole placement. Associations between placement and satisfaction are robust to extensive controls for child and maternal characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Navigating the family court setting to protect teen mental health, meet teens' mental health needs, and promote resilience and coping skills is challenging. We have tools that can help us meet that challenge. That toolkit includes: expanding who is involved in the work to develop a parenting plan or treatment plan; not reducing the case to a one‐dimensional fact pattern; restructuring family court proceedings for ongoing problem‐solving, providing protections for the teen's privacy; using consensual dispute resolution and adjudication on parallel tracks; and educating the decision makers through expert declarations and Brandeis briefs (even at the trial court level). Key points for the family court community: Be mindful that whoever does not participate in the work to develop a parenting plan or a treatment plan is likely to blow it up.Do not reduce the case to a single story or dominant fact pattern.Restructure family law proceedings for ongoing problem‐solving.Provide a confidential setting that protects the child's privacy.Use consensual dispute resolution and adjudication in parallel rather than sequentially.Educate the decision makers through expert declarations and Brandeis briefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Misinformation regarding parental alienation theory has been published many times in journals and books since the 1980s. This article discusses a specific example of misinformation, i.e., variations of the statement: Parental alienation theory assumes that the favored parent has caused parental alienation in the child simply because the child refuses to have a relationship with the rejected parent, without identifying or proving alienating behaviors by the preferred parent. This is an unusual phenomenon, i.e., the same misinformation was found in journal articles, books, and presentations by critics of parental alienation 40 times between 1994 and 2020. This trail of recurrent misinformation is not trivial; it is a major misrepresentation of basic tenets of parental alienation theory. The article concludes with action items, including the proposal that these false statements should be corrected and/or the journal articles should be withdrawn from publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores a case in Northern Ireland regarding the freeing of a child for adoption and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) case law that should have been considered. The court discusses the application of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, emphasizing that measures such as freeing for adoption should only be taken in exceptional circumstances and must be proportionate to the child's best interests.

Purpose: The current study seeks to investigate the extent to which factors such as income and child support along with relationship factors such as family structure and communication with the custodial mother potentially mitigate overall parent satisfaction for African American noncustodial fathers (NCFs) with multi-partnered fertility (MPF). Methods: 163 noncustodial fathers without and with children other than the custodial parents were selected. An independent sample t-test was conducted to determine differences in satisfaction levels. Multiple linear regression was conducted to predict participants' overall level of parental involvement satisfaction by income, child support, and relationship factors. Results: The data illustrates the combined influence of income, child support, relationship factors, and family structure account for a significant amount of the variance in satisfaction. Fathers without MPF reported greater satisfaction levels. Conclusions: Future study is recommended to advance our understanding of the predictors of NCFs parent satisfaction among NCFs with and without MPF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study theorizes the interrelationship between African American noncustodial father's (NCF) (a) income, (b) child support payment (CSP), (c) satisfaction with custodial parent (CP) communication, and (d) satisfaction with the way the CP is raising his child as predictors of father's involvement. Method: Regression models were tested along a hypothesized framework to determine direct and indirect influences to NCF's involvement. Results: Based on regression results, new direct and indirect relationships were identified. Discussion: These findings suggest healthier communication, and timely child support payments are critical to NCF's satisfaction with involvement as well as his views toward the CP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The prevalence of psychosomatic complaints among children and adolescents appears to be increasing. At the same time, the numbers of joint physical custody families are rising across Western countries. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between post-separation care arrangements (joint physical custody vs. sole physical custody) and children's risks of psychosomatic problems, while considering the potential mediating role of parent–child relationships. Subject and methods: Based on data from the Family Models in Germany (FAMOD) study, stepwise linear regression models and seemingly unrelated regression models were estimated for a sample of 473 children aged seven to 14 living in either sole physical custody or joint physical custody families. Results: Children in joint physical custody families reported significantly fewer psychosomatic problems than children in sole physical custody families. Furthermore, living in a joint physical custody arrangement was associated with better parent–child relationships, although only the mother–child relationship was significantly related to children's psychosomatic complaints, and partially mediated the association between physical custody arrangements and children's psychosomatic complaints. No corresponding association could be found with respect to the father–child relationship. Conclusion: The risk of psychosomatic problems was distributed unequally among post-separation families, as children living in joint physical custody arrangements suffered from fewer psychosomatic problems than children living in sole physical custody arrangements. Because part of this association was explained by the quality of the mother–child relationship, children's relationships with other family members appear to be important factors to consider when seeking to promote children's health in post-separation care arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parenting can be impacted by substance misuse, and children can be at risk of maltreatment, leading to their removal from their mothers. Successful treatment of substance abuse relies on these women gaining effective support from services. Previous research has demonstrated the impact working in this field can have on staff, including high staff turnover, vicarious trauma, and burnout. The present study further explores the experience of staff members working in a Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service in Scotland who work with mothers who have had their children removed. Six interviews with nurses and social care workers were analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). Two superordinate themes were developed from the data: (1) complexity and tension within working relationships and (2) emotional experiences and attempts to resolve them. Participants described the complexity of their roles, including the dual role of supporting mothers while also being involved in the child removal process by providing reports and evidence and how they respond and work with mothers after removal and conflicts with the wider system. They also highlighted their attempts to cope with the emotional impact of being part of this process and the empathy they have with mothers, especially when they are parents themselves, and described the complexities of trying to cope and manage when working in this challenging area. Clinical implications, including training needs and requirements, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hague Convention cases are a growing niche in forensic assessments. These cases focus on returning children, or preventing their return, after international abductions, by one of the parents, has occurred. This article focuses on the legal underpinnings of the Hague Abduction Convention, the "affirmative defenses" that may be invoked to prevent a return order, including "grave risk of harm," "mature objection", and the "well settled defense." The article will also focus on the increasing roles that forensic evaluators play in these matters, the distinction between the role of forensic experts in custody proceedings and Hague cases, and the inherent limitations present in these unique kinds of evaluations. Key points: Pursuant to the Hague Abduction Convention, children are required to be returned to their country of habitual residence, determined generally by the intentions of their parents and their acclimatization to their environment.There are, however, several exceptions to the return requirement, including grave risk of harm, the mature objection, and the well‐settled defense.If a child would face a grave risk of physical or psychological harm if returned, then a return is not required.If a child is sufficiently mature and objects to returning, then a return is not required.If a lawsuit is not filed within 1 year of the abduction and the child is well‐settled in the new country, then a return is not required.Forensic evaluations are increasingly a crucial component in Hague Abduction litigation and its differences to general child custody evaluations are notable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Police respond to high volumes of domestic violence (DV) calls that can be time-consuming and often deal with repeat involved persons, regardless of whether or not charges are laid. This study extracts and examines three distinct cases of individuals/couples that involved almost 2% of 3,414 domestic violence calls to police that occurred over about a 3-year period for a small-sized urban community and its surrounding rural areas in Ontario, Canada. Most of the calls (86.2%) for these three cases did not result in any charges being laid. Each case represented a unique problem focus common in DV situations, and all three cases involved children. Key issues for one case included substance use and the cycle of violence; in another case, mental health problems and parenting challenges were prominent; and the third case pertained to child custody and access issues. Acceptance of offered support and services by the involved persons was minimal in all three cases. Implications for improved police responses involving collaboration with other service providers in smaller communities with limited resources are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grandparents caring for grandchildren has increased globally in the past two decades, but we have a limited understanding of its effects on custodial grandchildren's mental/behavioural health and educational outcomes. This mixed methods systematic review aims to synthesise mental/behavioural health and educational outcomes of custodial grandchildren within custodial grandparent‐headed families and with comparison to other types of household structure and further examine factors associated with these outcomes. A systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines was conducted. We searched ERIC, Family Studies Abstracts, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, Social Work Abstract and SocINDEX in March 2021 and screened 14,515 articles, which resulted in the inclusion of 42 studies, including 33 quantitative, seven qualitative and two mixed methods studies. The quality of included studies was assessed. This review covered 10 countries, yet most studies revealed that grandchildren raised by grandparents had adverse mental/behavioural health and educational outcomes compared to their peers raised by biological parents. This review further identified multi‐level factors contributing to custodial grandchildren's adverse outcomes. Methodological limitations and implications for future practice and research were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous women in the United States are among the most vulnerable to intimate partner violence (IPV), which has reached endemic levels. The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to understand contextual factors and barriers to becoming liberated from violence. Reconstructive analysis of data from a critical ethnography with a sample of 231 women across two tribes who described IPV relationships identified the following themes: controlling relationships, losing sense of priorities, using children, socioeconomic stress, family pressures, and restricting relationships. Results revealed these tactics, which parallel those used in the patriarchal colonialism of historical oppression, impeded women's liberation from relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues impacting children, families, and communities involve an array of weighty interests rooted in a variety of consequential historical, legal, and political precedents. For more than 30 years, students in the course Child Rights and Remedies have explored these precedents while honing their critical thinking and advocacy skills through role play. Students are each assigned a role for the duration of the semester—a child advocate/child's attorney, a parent advocate/parent's attorney, a state attorney, among others—from which to analyze cases relevant to children. Students are asked to identify the strongest legal and policy arguments supporting the position of someone in their assigned role and to prepare to raise and defend the position in class. A recent innovation—developed as a result of mandated virtual instruction— expands student exploration of child‐ and family‐related topics through contribution to a current events blog. This article will briefly discuss the benefit of role play in legal education followed by detailed guidance on using the approach to explore four key child rights cases. The article also includes the blog assignment description as well as example blog entries and responses. Key points for the family court community: The use of role play in the law school classroom can enhance knowledge and promote acquisition of practical skills.Students engaging in role play in the child rights or family law classroom sharpen legal analysis and oral advocacy skills as they examine assigned cases from the perspective of an attorney crafting an argument for a particular party or relevant interest.Investment in a role raises the stakes for students to creatively construct a persuasive argument based either in favorable precedent or a compelling alternative.This article provides lesson plans detailing the use of role play in the cases of Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Michael H. v. Gerald D, Smith v. OFFER, and Wisconsin v. Yoder.A valuable formative assessment for use in the child rights or family law classroom is a class current events blog, which provides an alternative method of dialogue for students as well as a space in which to apply the course material to present controversies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Racial and ethnic inequities persist in receipt of prenatal care, mental health services, and addiction treatment for pregnant and postpartum individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). Further qualitative work is needed to understand the intersectionality of racial and ethnic discrimination, stigma related to substance use, and gender bias on perinatal SUD care from the perspectives of affected individuals. Peer interviewers conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with recently pregnant people of color with SUD in Massachusetts to explore the impact of internalized, interpersonal, and structural racism on prenatal, birthing, and postpartum experiences. The study used a thematic analysis to generate the codebook and double coded transcripts, with an overall kappa coefficient of 0.89. Preliminary themes were triangulated with five participants to inform final theme development. The study includes 23 participants of diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds: 39% mixed race/ethnicity (including 9% with Native American ancestry), 30% Hispanic or Latinx, 26% Black/African American, 4% Asian. While participants frequently names racial and ethnic discrimination, both interpersonal and structural, as barriers to care, some participants attributed poor experiences to other marginalized identities and experiences, such as having a SUD. Three unique themes emerged from the participants' experiences: 1) Participants of color faced increased scrutiny and mistrust from clinicians and treatment programs; 2) Greater self-advocacy was required from individuals of color to counteract stereotypes and stigma; 3) Experiences related to SUD history and pregnancy status intersected with racism and gender bias to create distinct forms of discrimination. Pregnant and postpartum people of color affected by perinatal SUD faced pervasive mistrust and unequal standards of care from mostly white healthcare staff and treatment spaces, which negatively impacted their treatment access, addiction medication receipt, postpartum pain management, and ability to retain custody of their children. Key clinical interventions and policy changes identified by participants for antiracist action include personalizing anesthetic plans for adequate peripartum pain control, minimizing reproductive injustices in contraceptive counseling, and addressing misuse of toxicology testing to mitigate inequitable Child Protective Services (CPS) involvement and custody loss. • Birthing people of color with SUD face increased scrutiny and mistrust. • Interpersonal discrimination and structural racism are frequent barriers to care. • Greater self-advocacy was required to counteract stereotypes and stigma • Racial and ethnic discrimination intersect with gender bias and stigma due to SUD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research underscores the importance of fathers' involvement in their children's lives. However, there is mixed evidence about the degree to which fatherhood programs improve economic stability and child support outcomes among noncustodial fathers. We attempted to address some of these gaps in the literature by evaluating the Fathers Advancing Community Together (FACT) program. FACT was implemented by Rubicon Programs, a community‐based nonprofit organization in the Bay Area, California known for providing services to help move people out of poverty. The program provided parents economic stability, responsible parenting, and healthy relationship workshops, as well as support services and intensive case management. We relied on data from the Department of Child Support Services to assess whether FACT increased the likelihood of employment, child support modifications, and child support payments among noncustodial fathers during a 6‐month post‐enrollment period. Using 3:1 coarsened exact matching procedures, the total sample resulted in 744 fathers (186 in the intervention group and 558 in the comparison group). Results from logistic regression models indicate that FACT participants were more likely to be employed and more likely to receive a child support modification during the post‐enrollment period than their comparison counterparts, though we found no significant relationship between FACT participation and whether fathers made a child support payment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past three decades a small number of influential writers have bravely attempted to develop theoretical models for understanding and comparing the complex development of child protection systems across different countries. The foremost frameworks have compared the dynamics of child protection arrangements in high‐income countries, with little attention being given to middle‐ and low‐income countries and, more specifically, the MENA region. This paper presents Lebanon's child protection model and highlights factors that have led to its unique development in the last 20 years. It contends that Lebanon's child protection system is pluralistic in nature, with responsibilities for the ultimate safety and wellbeing of children diffused among a variety of stakeholders. As a relatively new domain of practice for the state, the protection of children in Lebanon has become implicated in the ever‐present national debates regarding the correct balance of authority between state, religion and citizen. A parallel system of decision‐making exists with a state‐run system struggling to find its place alongside customary religious courts unlikely to relinquish their power over family affairs. Through an examination of Lebanon, the paper aims to further road test the most recent typology and address its applicability to one Middle East country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the relationships between different types of post-separation families (physical custody arrangements x stepfamily status) and parents' and children's well-being. Using data from waves 3–12 of the German Family Panel, random- and fixed-effects regression models were estimated for two analytical samples of 1,199 resident parents and 1,129 children aged 7–17. No statistically significant relationships between physical custody arrangements and parents' depressiveness and life satisfaction were found, but living with a partner was shown to be positively related to parental life satisfaction. Neither physical custody arrangements nor stepfamily status were related to children's mental and physical health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a review of the literature on Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) in Spain during the last ten years (2010-2020) and it distinguishes between supporters and detractors of the construct. The polarized positions around the construct have revealed a conflict between Psychology and Law. At stake is how diagnostics and judicial pronouncements are related. A collaboration, in an interdisciplinary key, between the clinical perspective and the forensic perspective is missed. The system of custody of minors has played a very important role in the judicial invocation of PAS construct. This situation has changed with the adoption of the jurisprudential criterion favorable to Shared custody, as a general rule, as of 2013. The latest judicial resolutions use terminology far from PAS. The Therapeutic Justice new legal paradigm can serve to articulate new forms of relationship between Psychology and Law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contemporary society, fewer adults marry than in previous generations. It is also true that there have been increases in the number of non-marital births. The combination of these demographic trends mean that large numbers of fathers live apart from their children and are at risk for disengagement as a result of the conflict that characterizes many co-parenting relationships. In response, there is a burgeoning literature examining interventions aimed at improving co-parenting cooperation and reducing conflict. To further examine these issues, the purpose of this study was to give voice to custodial mothers enrolled in a co-parenting intervention to share their experiences and perspectives on their relationships with their children's fathers and to offer their opinion regarding the most impactful components of the intervention. In-depth qualitative data were collected from 55 custodial mothers participating in focus groups and follow up individual interviews. Data analysis revealed that many of the mothers reported improvements in their co-parenting relationships over time. The absence or presence of empathy also emerged as a salient factor in shaping the mothers' co-parenting experiences, a finding that may have implications for practitioners and researchers interested in the dynamics of family functioning. Highlights: Qualitative research methods are useful in examining the nuances that influence parents' lived experiences in families. Co-parenting interventions can be effective complements to responsible fatherhood programs. Empathy is an important factor in shaping co-parenting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study investigates the determinants of parental involvement in diverse types of stepfamilies. Background: Most research has studied parental involvement in married stepfather families with resident children. This study also includes some of the more recent and emerging stepfamily types (e.g., living‐apart‐together [LAT] stepfamilies) allowing for a simultaneous examination of the role of biological relatedness, type of relationship, residence, and gender for parental involvement. It also examines whether the role of biological relatedness differs depending on parents' gender and children's residence. Method: Multiple regression analyses were conducted using the New Families in the Netherlands (NFN) survey, large‐scale data collected among divorced and separated parents with minor children (2015/16; N = 3218). Results: Biological parents were more involved than stepparents (i.e., a stepgap was observed). This stepgap was smallest in married stepfamilies, followed by cohabiting stepfamilies and LAT stepfamilies, respectively. (Step)parents with resident children were more involved than those with nonresident children, with involvement being higher for full‐time resident children than part‐time resident (i.e., joint physical custody) children. The stepgap was larger for resident children than nonresident children, but did not differ between mothers and fathers. Conclusion: Biological relatedness, type of relationship, and where children reside are important determinants of parental involvement, whereas more nuance is required for the role of parents' gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]