Family Court POV
Taking a Family Prism Approach
Experiences in family court have an impact on the immediate family and their relatives. Importantly, the views expressed by the court and its officials influence the family.
The three most important individuals see things differently and experience the family court matter differently. The complexities of the family court and potential impact on each person demonstrate the need for the Family Prism Approach.
Why is this important?
Different factors are considered by the court when determining parenting plans, including the child’s needs, finances, geographical logistics, and parental resources.
- Some court matters are contentious, involving parent-child contact problems (PCCP) (Garber, 2020; Pruett et al., 2023), which can encompass numerous issues that influence the parent-child dynamic.
- The causes of the PCCP may stem from court-associated or parent-specific circumstances, including domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) (Sullivan et al., 2024).
Family Prism aspects
Taking into consideration the influence of family court and ancillary personnel, the Family Prism Approach identifies the needs and experiences of the family members while considering the rulings of family court and potential options for helping each member of the family.
- Court decisions require careful consideration when DV and IPV are involved.
- Sometimes the benefit between the well-being of both children and parents and the parenting plan can be less clear cut.
- A child may prefer to spend more time with one parent for varying reasons.
For example...
- Family court decisions that allocate one parent with 100% or more than 50% parenting time can be beneficial and necessary for the well-being of both children and parents (Deutsch et al., 2020; Johnston & Sullivan, 2020).
- Ascribing a child’s emotional reaction to leaving one parent as not wanting to go to their other parent could be interpreted as a “resist-refusal” behavior, potentially impacting court rulings (Garber, 2020) and leading to negative outcomes for the child (Judge & Deutsch, 2016; Warshak, 2020).
- Other factors may include a parent who is struggling with mental or physical health problems, or is deemed as lacking sufficient parenting skills by court professionals (Neilson, 2018b).
In essence...
The court considers different factors when determining parenting arrangements.
Speaking to the complexity of family court matters, among family court cases, approximately 10% are considered high-conflict (Birnbaum & Bala, 2010; Rosenfeld, 2020). This further supports the need to taking a Family Prism Approach to best help families.
What is the Family Prism Approach
Points of View in Family Court
Points of View in Family Court
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