Examines role of police in responding to family abduction episodes using data from a national survey. Addresses questions concerning frequency of police involvement, how abductions to which police respond differ from those to which they don't, actions taken by police, and the effects of their actions on episode outcomes. (LKS)

Parental kidnapping could lead to a lawsuit against the school or principal. After general building security, schools need to check on custody status, network with the courts, and convince both custodial and noncustodial parents that schools are on the children's side. A summary provides 14 steps to safeguard against parental kidnapping. (MLF)

Reviews literature comparing risk that battered women and men who batter will physically abuse their children. Challenges several tenets of social work practice lore and cautions practitioners about use of psychological tests and profiles to judge child abuse potential and parenting ability. Discusses hazards of mediation and joint custody and…

Regardless of custody arrangements, what seems to matter for children is the quality of family functioning. Types of custody arrangements are defined, and the effects of joint custody on parents and children are discussed. Children's developmental needs are considered, and issues for parents and counselors to consider are explored. (EMK)

Professionals often react to their personal beliefs when addressing child sexual abuse concerns. Needs of the child are often lost in an adversarial system that encourages taking a rigid position for one parent or the other. Author suggests that ongoing training of professionals, awareness of personal bias, and the need to examine alternative…

Discusses how a complex regulatory system, along with a lack of consensus about the functions served by adoption, produces uncertainty on many basic issues, including distinguishing lawful adoption versus illegal "baby-selling." The author recommends passage of more uniform state adoption laws, describes the 1994 Uniform Adoption Act,…

Investigated outreach and interventions of caseworkers in out-of-home care agencies to determine whether the birthfather was involved as a resource for discharge planning. Found that casework activity levels were higher for birthmothers than for birthfathers, the number of problems identified for mothers was greater, and the number of services…

Mediation is an essential component of custody evaluation and reconciliation services in domestic courts. Data from 306 couples with and without a reported history of domestic violence (DV) who were ordered to attend an assessment for mediation were analyzed to determine differences in the mediation process. More than one third reported a history…

The social inclusion of vulnerable children is high on the political agenda in Britain. With policy issues concerning children in care or so-called "looked after children" (LAC) at such a pivotal point, now is the time to ensure that the educational needs of these particularly vulnerable children and young people take centre stage. It…

This document contains public testimony, prepared statements, and letters from the Congressional hearing on parental kidnaping. Following an opening statement by the committee chairman, Senator Arlen Specter, public testimony is given by representatives of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, the Criminal Investigative Division of…

High divorce and remarriage rates affect parental roles and child development. This research shows half of the ex-spouses share the parental role when the custodial parent is remarried. The quality of the stepfamily environment is explored. Divorced parents must put aside negative emotions in the interest of the child. (VM)

Examined the relationship between divorced noncustodial fathers and their children from the perspective of both the mother and the father. Results indicate that divorced fathers are not necessarily absent parents and that both mothers and fathers consider post-divorce father involvement desirable. The only perceived change in paternal influence…

Parental abduction encompasses a broad array of illegal behaviors that involves one parent taking, detaining, concealing, or enticing away his or her child from the parent having custodial access. When the abducted parent intends to permanently alter custodial access by hiding the child or removing the child to another locale, the effects on the…

Discusses the situations of mothers who live apart from their children. Contrasts negative societal evaluations of mothers in this lifestyle with empirical findings. Identifies implications for family life educators and therapists. Prepared for the Groves Conference on Marriage and the Family, Poconos, Pennsylvania, May, 1981. (WAS)

Explores how child and family factors influence judicial decision making in contested custody cases through interviews with 18 family court judges. Judges cited a variety of factors as being influential, including the child's age and developmental status, the child's wishes regarding the custody arrangement, the child's stability, parental…