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Abstract

It is increasingly common that children of divorce are geographically separated from one of their parents. This article considers the challenges that arise from that reality by exploring this problem from a variety of perspectives and by providing practical tips to minimize the impact of the distance. A review of the Ontario caselaw and Arizona Guidelines reveal that certain factors are important in the resolution of these disputes, including: the age of the child, mode of transportation between homes, distance, prior contact, and feasibility of virtual access. Court‐ordered access may include remedies that, absent the distance issue, may be considered extreme, including moving to overnight/extended access periods for young children, permitting children to travel unaccompanied, favoring the nonresident parent for holidays and vacation time, allowing children to decrease contact with the nonresident parent, and decreasing or terminating child support. Where distance dictates the in‐person and virtual access schedules, creative solutions are critical to the successful resolution of these cases. Forward thinking family law professionals can meaningfully help parents to achieve better outcomes for children.

The Benefits, Drawbacks, and Safety Considerations in Digital Parent–Child Relationships: An Exploratory Survey of the Views of Legal and Mental Health Professionals in Family Law

“…Participants were clear that the use of ICT could not surpass the benefits of face-toface contact, physical contact, and affection that a parent provides a child. Therefore, the access to ICT alone should never be used as a determining factor in relocation cases (Himel et al, 2016). This is consistent with previous research regarding long-distance relationships, which suggests an increase in relational uncertainty when there is a lack of, or minimal, face-to-face interaction (Dainton & Aylor, 2001).…”

“…Therefore, the access to ICT alone should never be used as a determining factor in relocation cases (Himel et al, 2016). It is even more difficult for research to continuously catch up with the ongoing technological changes and advancements when it comes to the use of ICT and its implications for parent-child relationships.…”

“…Over the last decade, there has been a significant increase in the number of court orders and judicial endorsements that support the use of VPT as a method of maintaining parent-child contact between children and the nonresident parent (Himel, Paulseth, & Cohen, 2016;Saini et al, 2013). There remains a debate about whether VPT should be considered a substitute for direct parent-child contact and whether the use of this technology can provide justification to enable one parent to relocate with the child away from the other parent (Gottfried, 2002;Saini et al, 2013).…”

Séparés, mais toujours connectés ? Exploration des usages des technologies de l’information et de la communication entre parents et enfants de familles séparées

“…Pourtant, Stern et Messer (2009) soulignent que la façon de communiquer peut changer entre les membres d'une famille séparée, que la séparation soit permanente ou non. Qui plus est, on remarque une forte augmentation depuis une dizaine d'années des ordonnances de cours qui incorporent les TIC dans les plans parentaux pour favoriser le contact entre les parents et leurs enfants, mais aussi entre les coparents séparés (Himel, Paulseth et Cohen, 2016;Saini, Mishna, Barnes et al, 2013). Considérant que l'émergence des TIC a provoqué plusieurs changements au sein de nos institutions sociales, dont la famille (Balleys, Martin et Jochems, 2018), il s'avère pertinent de mieux comprendre le phénomène pour être en mesure de mieux intervenir.…”