Supervised, Supported and Indirect Contact Orders: Research Findings

Perry, Alison; Rainey, Bernadette

doi:10.1093/lawfam/ebl020

Cited by 16 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…In many cases, particularly those before the courts, contact between children and their family is supervised. Supervised contact, in its strict sense, refers to high vigilance contact in which interaction and conversation between the child and family member is closely monitored at a specialist contact service, in an office or in the community (Perry & Rainey, 2007). Formal contact supervisors may either be there to purely observe and take notes about the interactions between the family member and child, while ensuring safety, or have a more engaged role that seeks to support and enhance interaction between the participants (Triseliotis, 2010).…”

Section: Supervised Contactmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Promoting Contact for Children in State Care: Learning from Northern Ireland on the Development of a Framework for Assessing Contact

Wilson¹,

Devaney

2017

Child Care in Practice

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While the principle of contact between children in care and their families is enshrined in law, the precise form and frequency is at the discretion of social workers and the courts. Professionals must seek to balance the twin principles of children's need for protection from the psychological, emotional and physical harm that may arise from having contact with parents and other family members, with the need of family members and children to have their relationships and identity promoted. Courts require clear, structured and unambiguous information about the needs of children and their parents in order make decisions which will have potentially life changing implications for families. In this article we explore one approach to supporting the decision making of legal and social work professionals in relation to the frequency and form of contact by reflecting upon the development by the first author of an approach to assessing the quality and benefits of contact for children in State care in Northern Ireland. We discuss the key principles that should inform decisions and good practice through reflecting on the learning gained from developing and implementing such a structured approach. We conclude that practice has been informed by promoting legal rights without sufficient consideration of the relational aspects of making contact work for each of the involved parties

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Section: Supervised Contactmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In some instances parents may be provided with additional support during contact, particularly when there are concerns about their capacity to interact appropriately and sensitively with children (Perry & Rainey, 2007;Sen & Broadhurst, 2011). This may or may not be linked to assessment or reunification processes.…”

Section: Supervised Contactmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting Contact for Children in State Care: Learning from Northern Ireland on the Development of a Framework for Assessing Contact

Wilson¹,

Devaney

2017

Child Care in Practice

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“…Yet a large proportion of child arrangements/contact cases in England and Wales take place within a context of domestic abuse (at least 50%see, e.g. Cafcass & Women's Aid, 2017;Harding & Newnham, 2015;HMICA, 2005;Hunt & Macleod, 2008;Perry & Rainey, 2007). Despite this prevalence and the well-documented effects of domestic abuse on victims and children, courts and professionals in England and Wales virtually ignored the issue of domestic abuse when considering applications for residence or contact.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduction: contact and domestic abuse

Hunter

Barnett

Kaganas

2018

Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law

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This article introduces the special issue of the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law on contact disputes and allegations of domestic abuse. It first describes the aims and findings of the International Symposium on Contact Disputes and Allegations of Domestic Violence-Identifying Best Practices at which the papers in the special issue were originally presented. It then outlines the position in England and Wales regarding allegations of domestic abuse in child arrangements cases, highlighting the difference between the 'law in the books' and the 'law in action'. Thirdly, it discusses the research evidence on another prominent international approach to domestic abuse allegationslegislative presumptions against custody or unsupervised visitation/contact for abusive parents. The experience of presumptions in the USA and New Zealand suggests that a similar gap between 'law in the books' and 'law in action' exists, together with potential problems of legislative drafting. Finally, the article outlines the contributions of the other papers in the special issue to our understanding of international approaches to ensuring safety for children and resident parents in family proceedings where allegations of domestic abuse are raised.

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“…Children's Act Sub‐Committee (CASC), 2000, 2001, 2002; President of the Family Division, ). However, there are concerns that problematic practice may persist in the courts (Hunt and MacLeod, ; Perry and Rainey, ) and among Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) officers (Trinder et al ., ). Both groups of professionals are involved in referrals to child contact centres.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of Perceived Organisational Goals: A Systems Thinking Approach to Understanding Child Safeguarding in the Context of Domestic Abuse

Caffrey

2015

Child Abuse Review

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Research in the late 1990s and early 2000s raised concerns that the safeguarding implications of domestic abuse (DA) were not being sufficiently accounted for in child contact cases in England. Since that time, reforms have been introduced, which sought to emphasise the importance of safety in this context. Despite these developments, there is concern that problematic management of DA cases may have persisted. This article presents findings on the management of DA in supported child contact centres in England. The findings suggest that supported contact services continue to facilitate DA cases, although the service is not designed for this purpose. Using the systems thinking concepts of ‘local rationalities’ and ‘goal conflicts’, the article explores how problematic safeguarding practices made sense to those on the ground. The findings suggest that supported services are inappropriate for cases involving DA concerns, not just because they lack the resources to safely manage these cases, but because their perceived organisational goals can present a conflict for staff and volunteers in safely managing them. Ultimately, the article asserts the potential for perceived organisational goals to impact on practice and thus the importance of considering them in the design, commissioning or use of services. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Messages Supported child contact centres are inappropriate for cases involving DA concerns but continue to be used to facilitate such cases. Perceived organisational goals can impact on practice. It is therefore important to consider them in the design, commissioning or use of services. Systems thinking concepts, including ‘local rationalities’ and ‘goal conflicts’, can provide a useful framework for investigating the root causes of problematic practice.

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Supervised, Supported and Indirect Contact Orders: Research Findings

Cited by 16 publications

References 5 publications

Promoting Contact for Children in State Care: Learning from Northern Ireland on the Development of a Framework for Assessing Contact

Promoting Contact for Children in State Care: Learning from Northern Ireland on the Development of a Framework for Assessing Contact

Introduction: contact and domestic abuse

The Importance of Perceived Organisational Goals: A Systems Thinking Approach to Understanding Child Safeguarding in the Context of Domestic Abuse

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