Family Law

Jane Fortin, Professor of Law, Kings College London, Charlotte Ritchie, Senior Lecturer in Social Work, Oxford Brookes University and Ann Buchanan, Director of The Centre for Research into Parenting and Children, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of Oxford. The authors comment that substantial research literature confirms that parental break-up may seriously affect the well-being of their children. Research is less clear on the benefit to children of contact with their non-resident parent. This undermines decision-making in a child's 'best interests' and throws doubt on the possible value to children of legal processes. The article reports on a recent research study examining the childhood experiences of a group of young adults whose parents had sought court assistance over contact arrangements. The research findings are assessed in the context of recent procedural reforms underpinning parental contact disputes. See Child and Family Law Quarterly, Vol 18, No 2, 2006 for the full article.