Child custody and access: the views and practices of psychologists and lawyers
Date
2018-09-14
Authors
Jameson, Barbara J.
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Abstract
This study examined the views and professional practices of 52 psychologists, 26 from
Alberta and 26 from British Columbia, and 53 family lawyers, 21 from Alberta and 32 from British
Columbia, who have current or past experience in the area of child custody and access. Participants
completed a survey designed to explore issues in custody and access (CA) practice that were relevant
for each professional group. The survey also asked respondents to complete the revised Best
Interests of the Child Questionnaire (BICQ-R) in which participants rated the extent to which 77
specific Best Interests of the Child criteria should be considered in determining custody. These
items were presented in three areas of assessment relevant to custody and access evaluations: (a)
relational assessment, (b) needs of the child assessment, and (c) abilities of the parents assessment.
With regards to practice issues, differences for psychologists between the two provinces
tended to appear on those questions regarding issues of training and competency rather than in
questions that delved into the actual CA evaluation process. There were few differences for lawyers
between the two provinces. Forty-nine of the lawyers answered four optional questions regarding
ethical dilemmas in their child custody and access practice. On average, these lawyers reported
feeling caught 23% of the time between their professional responsibility to their client and their
personal beliefs about what would be in the best interests of the children involved in the custody
dispute.
The majority of psychologists and lawyers agreed that psychologists should continue to
gather information and make recommendations in their role as CA evaluators. Psychologists tended
to believe that lawyers' provided more litigation support to their clients than lawyers reported
providing. Psychologists also believed that case conferences should be held significantly more often
than lawyers would prefer. Psychologists and lawyers generally agreed on the main ways in which
each profession was helpful or harmful to the resolution of child custody and access disputes, and
there was also some consensus regarding the stresses and rewards of practicing in this area. The
effects of personal child custody and access experience on professionals practicing in this area was
also explored, and a personal CA experience by professional group interaction was revealed for male
practitioners.
The data for the BICQ-R were transformed to correct for potential response biases from the
psychologists and the lawyers. Results indicated that the means for the three assessment areas were
significantly different: both psychologists and lawyers rated the relational assessment area the
highest, followed by the needs of the child assessment area, followed by the abilities of the parents
assessment area. There was a significant gender difference for the needs of the child assessment
area mean.
Multivariate analyses of variance with number of years of experience as a covariate revealed
significant professional group differences for the relational and needs of the child assessment areas.
A significant gender difference on the abilities of the parents assessment area was also found with
male practitioners rating the items as being relatively more important. Significant differences
between psychologists and lawyers on various specific BIC criteria are reviewed, and the
implications of these findings in the context of current empirical research are discussed.
The study concluded that, in general, psychologists and lawyers rated the relative importance
of various aspects of the BIC criterion in a similar manner, and that this consensus could form the
foundation for developing a consistent and uniform understanding of the BIC criterion across
professional boundaries. The limitations of the current study are outlined, and future research
directions are suggested.
Description
Keywords
Custody of children, British Columbia, Alberta, Psychological aspects