When relationships break down, disputes commonly arise over the parenting arrangements for children, whose living arrangements have to be reorganized at a time of great conflict and turmoil. Most such disputes are resolved without a judicial determination through private agreement, negotiation between lawyers, mediation, or a combination of these methods. This book examines whether and how children should be involved in the process of resolving family law disputes. Although there is widespread acceptance in the Western world that the views of children should be taken into account, and that the weight given to those views should depend on children's age and maturity, there is much less agreement about how children's voices should be heard.   There are many benefits to giving children a voice in decisions that affect their lives, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child identifies this as a right for children. However there are difficulties and dangers in seeking to hear from children, not least because they may be subject to pressure from each parent to express views that support his or her case. Courts dealing with family law issues are constantly faced with a dilemma. Is it better to keep children out of the conflict, or to give them a say so that the arrangements are as workable for them as possible?  This book integrates examinations of these issues with empirical data from interviews which explore the views and experiences of children, parents, counselors, mediators, lawyers and judges involved in such disputes in Australia. Drawing on this research, the authors suggest ways that children can better be heard without placing them at the center of their parents' conflicts. They argue that the focus should not just be on how children are heard in legal proceedings, but on how they can be better heard in those families who resolve their conflicts without going to court.

The Voice of a Child in Family Law Disputes

PARKINSON, Patrick

Cashmore, Judy

Parenting & Relationships

Oxford University Press

<p>There are few areas of public policy in the Western world where there is as much turbulence as in family law. Often the disputes are seen in terms of an endless war between the genders. Reviewing developments over the last 30 years in North America, Europe, and Australasia, Patrick Parkinson argues that, rather than just being about gender, the conflicts in family law derive from the breakdown of the model on which divorce reform was predicated in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Experience has shown that although marriage may be freely dissoluble, parenthood is not. Dealing with the most difficult issues in family law, this book charts a path for law reform that recognizes that the family endures despite the separation of parents, while allowing room for people to make a fresh start and prioritizing the safety of all concerned when making decisions about parenting after separation.</p>

Family Law and the Indissolubility of Parenthood

Family Law

Cambridge University Press

There are few areas of public policy in the Western world where there is as much turbulence as in family law. Often the disputes are seen in terms of an endless war between the genders. Reviewing developments over the last 30 years in North America, Europe, and Australasia, Patrick Parkinson argues that, rather than just being about gender, the conflicts in family law derive from the breakdown of the model on which divorce reform was predicated in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Experience has shown that although marriage may be freely dissoluble, parenthood is not. Dealing with the most difficult issues in family law, this book charts a path for law reform that recognizes that the family endures despite the separation of parents, while allowing room for people to make a fresh start and prioritizing the safety of all concerned when making decisions about parenting after separation.

Family Law And The Indissolubility Of Parenthood

<p>Child Sexual Abuse and the Churches: Understanding the Issues explains the seriousness of child sexual abuse and gives valuable advice on how church leaders and others in their congregations should respond. The book draws on the research on child sexual abuse, talks about controversies such as repressed memory and ritual abuse, and deals with the effects of sexual abuse on victims, the struggle of faith they experience and the very difficult issue of forgiveness. The book concludes with discussions on ministers who sin in this area, disclosure, the legal process and making churches safer for children.</p>

Child Sexual Abuse and the Churches

Religion & Spirituality

Routledge

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by PARKINSON, Patrick. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by PARKINSON, Patrick

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by PARKINSON, Patrick. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Voice of a Child in Family Law Disputes

Family Law and the Indissolubility of Parenthood

Family Law and the Indissolubility of Parenthood

Family Law And The Indissolubility Of Parenthood

Child Sexual Abuse and the Churches