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Court reporters - CAFCASS - Sellout - needs
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CAFCASSt SECt Contact Principles and Practice
Guidance I Draft 1 Draft issued16.08.04
"Children wish to be more involved in the decisions that
are central to their lives". 7
Children often want to be informed and involved in the process
of deciding contact and they should have the opportunity to
be heard. A number of studies have shown that in general children
and young people do not feel sufficiently consulted by either
their parents or others about contact arrangements that concern
them.8 They can however, have difficulties in rommunicating
and need to be approached with sensitivity.
"Finding an appropriate balance between consulting children
and burdening them with resolving adult conflicts.. .(is)
difficult. Equally, children (fInd) it difficult at times
to balance articulating their own needs with wanting to protect
the feelings of their parents". 9
Most children want open and honest communication but should
not be exposed to the effects of disputes over contact. Parents
and carers should be encouraged to explain, reassure and consult
with children, though should not allow them to feel that the
burden of responsibility for any decision rests with them.
'~ meta-analysis of 63 studies has suggested that it is the
quality not the quantity of
contact that is associated with children's well-being".
10
Contact should involve the 'positive' and 'significant' participation
of both parents and other family members in children's lives.
Positive and significant participation can vary from playing
a key role in the routine nurturing of the child, to providing
the child with a valuable sense of identity and heritage.
Beneficial contact needs to be more than a routine arrangement
only providing physical proximity. But there is more to the
quality of a relationship than the amount of time it is given.
If the post-separation relationship between the parents (or
between the parents and others) is dominated by feelings of
humiliation, anger, hostility and grief and the children are
co-opted as allies or fought over in a continuing battle,
this will be harmful for the child and decisions about the
extent of contact must take this into account. Otherwise relationships
will be impoverished or disrupted and the results for the
child:
"are likely to be low self-esteem and depression, accompanied
by a continued feeling of
deprivation or continued anger... which can endure for many
years". 11
For children living outside their birth families, establishment
of a suitable pattern of contact needs immediate consideration
on removal. Subsequent placements lead to the need for complex
assessment of the need for contact with previous
7 Buchanan, Hunt, Bretherton & Bream (2001) 'Families
in Conflict - perspectives of children and parents on
the Family Court Welfare Service'
8 e.g. 0 'Quigley A, 'Listening to Children's Views: The findings
and recommendations of recent research' ~2000), Joseph Rowntree
Foundation
Trinder L, Beek M, Connolly J (2002)
10 Ibid, quoted from Amato P and Gilbreth J (1999) 'Non-resident
fathers and children's well-being: a meta-
analysis', Journal of Marriage & the Family, Vol 61 No.3
11 Wallerstein J, and Kelly J B (1980) 'Surviving the Breakup-
How Children and Parents Cope with Divorce', Grant Mcintyre
p317
Page 12 of 68
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