More and more the evidence is piling up: "Shared parenting" is one of those ideas that needs to be dumped on the dustheap of history. Despite the pretty "sharing" rhetoric, all it amounted to was ignoring the wishes and safety of children while emphasizing the "rights" of fathers, regardless of the father's previous history of violence or abuse. Research shows consistently that children do better in the custody of their mothers--not being passed back and forth like a hot potato.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/study-finds-shared-parenting-detrimental-to-children/story-e6frea83-1225869346792
Last updated: May 21, 2010
Study finds shared parenting detrimental to children
Miles Kemp From: The Advertiser May 21, 2010 12:01AM
SHARED parenting rules used by the Family Court in divorce cases were bad for many children, an Adelaide study has found.
The shared parenting model was introduced in 2006 by the Howard Government in response to lobbying by men's rights groups, to replace the historical practice of the courts awarding custody to mothers.
A UniSA research paper based on interviews of children from divorced families has found the one-size-fits-all practice now favoured by the courts was focused on what parents wanted rather than children's wellbeing.
"The Parliament (in 2006) was moving to address outspoken parents in the community but addressing parents' concerns can ignore what the children want," the author of the research paper, lecturer Dr Alan Campbell, said.
"When you get into the court system, issues like the safety of children, what they want and getting them into the best environment they can be in are subjugated to the parent's needs.
"Children (in the interviews) felt betrayed that their interests were not considered in the court process."
Dr Campbell said there had been "considerable" concern by academics that the law change would put some children into dangerous family situations.
The Federal Government is reviewing the changes because of, in part, the death of four-year-old Melbourne girl Darcey Freeman who, in 2009, was thrown to her death from a bridge, allegedly by her father.
Her mother had been too fearful to tell the courts her husband was violent because she thought the information would be used against her.
Dr Campbell said other children were physically safe but felt depressed, stressed, confused and suffered adjustment problems.
Dr Campbell said shared custody arrangements made without court intervention were often positive.
"What courts need to do is be allowed to look at a broad range of options, including shared parenting," he said.
"The court needs to find out from the child - `this is what it is like for me, this is what I'm thinking and this is what I'm feeling', then the adults should make a decision based on the rich information the children can provide to the court."