Parenting Plans for Infants,Toddlers, and Preschoolers: Research and Issues

In the debate over parenting plans for infants and toddlers, a central question is whether these very young children should spend overnight time away from their mothers in their fathers’ care. This article summarizes and critiques the 11 empirical studies that have addressed this question. Overall, overnighting was not associated with negative outcomes for infants and toddlers and was associated with positive outcomes for preschoolers.     

The Attitude of the Shari'a Courts to Parental Alienation Syndrome: Understanding the Dynamics of the Syndrome in Arab Society

In addition to the many factors leading to parental alienation syndrome (PAS), including the narcissistic injury felt by the abandoned parent, or the custodial parent's personal difficulty, there are further factors unique to Arab society—including strong influence by the extended family on the child. Although all the components of PAS exist and are well known to the shari'a courts, no parallel concept is found in the Arab legal lexicon. This article presents 1 case of a shari'a court hearing that illustrates this phenomenon. The conclusions indicate that the shari'a court considers this a serious phenomenon and sees coping with the situation as an essential and preliminary condition to the custody hearing.     

Parenting groups for parents whose children are in care

Excluding very severe child abuse cases, biological parents are usually encouraged to maintain contact with their children in care. Parent‐child contact is often considered important because it can maintain the child's psychological identity and well‐being. It can also maintain parent‐child attachment and in some cases facilitate reunification. Improving parenting skills is viewed as an important method by which contact between children and their biological parents can be enhanced. However, mainstream parenting groups are often unsuitable for parents whose children are in care for a number of reasons. There is stigma involved with having children in care, such parents have very complex lives and there are reduced opportunities to practise skills learnt with their children. Groups designed specifically for parents whose children are in care appear to be a promising approach to improving the quality of contact between these parents and their children. This paper will review group‐based approaches to working with biological parents whose pre‐school‐aged children have been placed in care. The paper will also report the findings of a research project designed to identify key facilitators and barriers to parental involvement in a group‐based programme which includes contact between parents and their children who have been placed in care. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relocation Cases: Analyzing Relevant Evidence

SUMMARY

This article offers a format for analysis of evidence in relocation cases where both parents are fit to have primary custody of the child. The suggested analysis of evidence in family relocation cases after dissolution of marriage results in a positive and workable resolution of the issues presented to the court. The end point is a workable plan for parenting in the best interest of the child. The format balances the interests of both parents and the child in compliance with state, federal and international law.     

A Participant-Informed Model for Preventing Teen Pregnancy in a Rural Latino Community

Recognizing the need for health prevention efforts that are tailored to the needs of Latinos in rural communities, the researchers utilized focus groups to ascertain the perspectives of Latino children and their parents who participated in a teen pregnancy prevention program. This article presents a Latino-driven conceptual design of an evidence-informed comprehensive, community-based, and culturally sensitive teen-pregnancy prevention program. The new model, called the Family-Festival Prevention Model, (1) used culturally relevant and experiential learning activities, (2) promoted community connections, (3) incorporated strategies that engaged fathers, and (4) engaged important faith-based and community stakeholders to involve the whole community in prevention efforts.     

A Black and White Model for Teaching Family Therapy: Empowerment by Degree

In this article, I describe and reflect on the rationale, development and teaching of the first university‐based post‐graduate course in family therapy delivered to Aboriginal child, family and health workers. Alongside my Cultural Consultant, Shaun Coade, and with support from key staff at the Bouverie Centre in Melbourne, I developed and delivered the first four iterations of the La Trobe University Graduate Certificate in Family Therapy to Aboriginal students and a relatively small number of non‐Aboriginal students. Since 2008, the course has been successfully completed in six Victorian locations and is currently being delivered at Shepparton and in Cooktown, Queensland. The term, ‘Black and White’ was coined by Shaun and by the Aboriginal family therapy students to describe the delivery of a family therapy curriculum that meets mainstream University requirements while being embedded in Aboriginal culture and Aboriginal wisdom. A largely unanticipated bonus was the realisation that the model of teaching also has important implications for the mainstream teaching of family therapy. After providing a brief summary of enrolment and graduation rates, the article picks up on elements of the teaching and learning that proved to be central to the successful delivery of the course.