Citation

Saini MA, Black T, Fallon B, Marshall A. Child Welf. 2013; 92(1): 115-137.

Affiliation

University of Toronto.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Child Welfare League of America)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

23984488

Abstract

This national study of child custody disputes within the context of child protection investigations confirms and reinforces the perception in the field that child custody disputes are more likely to reopen for investigations, include higher rates of malicious referrals and involve a higher proportion of children with emotional and functioning issues compared to non-custody-related investigations. Future research might consider the reasons for these higher rates so to improve the identification of these cases and to make more informed decisions about how best to respond to these families. The greatest contribution of this study is that it provides important new evidence to reinforce the need to prioritize child custody disputes within the context of child protection services given the unique challenges and opportunities for making well-informed case plan decisions.

Language: en