Children’s residence in divorce disputes – examination of social work reports to the court

Abstract

The paper examines how children's residency is portrayed in the reports of social workers to courts in cases of contested divorce. In addition, light will be shed on how the descriptions contained in the reports pass into the court orders. The reports are approached through a micro-sociological lens: as assessment practices of social work which define children's residency and welfare. The results show that extensive and detailed descriptions of the physical residential situation of the child's mother and father were the most prevalent in the reports. People in the home and their interpersonal relationships together with the atmosphere of the home were also reported on. However, in the summaries of their reports the social workers place particular value on the cooperative parental relationships and stabilised circumstances of the child. Similar arguments were central in the judges' orders. The results raise questions of the appropriateness of the reports when settling the cases.

Family Professionals’ Attitudes and Stance-Taking on Post-Divorce Fatherhood: A Qualitative Attitude Approach

“…However, little consideration was given to the possibility of intimate partner violence or parental alienation. According to previous studies, the continuity of parenthood and a parent's ability to engage in undisputed co-parenting are key factors supporting a child's well-being after parental separation (Forsberg et al, 2018;Nielsen, 2017). However, the principle of the child's best interests is vague, and determining it in the course of a life-changing situation like divorce may be difficult (Smithson et al, 2015, pp.…”