THE COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE PROJECT: 
A Court‐Based Intervention for Separating Parents with Young Children

Abstract

The role the legal process of separation and divorce plays in affecting outcomes for young children and their families was examined in the Collaborative Divorce Project (CDP), an intervention designed to assist the parents of children six years old or younger as they begin the separation /divorce process (married and unmarried couples). Evaluation and outcome data were collected from 161 couples, their attorneys, teachers, and court records. In addition to positive evaluations from both parents, intervention families benefited through lower conflict, greater father involvement, and better outcomes for children than the control group. Attorneys and court records indicate that intervention families were more cooperative and were less likely to need custody evaluations and other costly services. The CDP illustrates how prevention programs can be located within the courts, can be systematically evaluated, and can aid in helping the legal system function optimally for families with young children.

Adult attachment, couple attachment, and children's adaptation to school: an integrated attachment template and family risk model

“…Cowan et al relationship between the parents, especially in their reciprocal exchange of negative emotions as they try to resolve differences between them (Katz & Gottman, 1993) or as they work and play together with their child as co-parents (McHale, Khazan, Erera, Rotman, DeCourcey, & McConnell, 2002). The extensive research literature on marital quality, parent-child relationship quality, and children's adaptation has been summarized by a number of authors who find that high, unresolved marital conflict between parents is associated with negative indicators of development in their children and adolescents (Cowan & Cowan, 2006;Cox, Paley, & Harter, 2001;Cummings & Davies, 1994;McHale, Kazali, Rotman, Talbot, Carleton, & Lieberson, 2004;Pruett, Insabella, & Gustafson, 2005). Furthermore, there is strong support for a spillover hypothesis: that marital difficulties tend to color the quality of the relationship between each parent and the child (Lindahl, Clements, & Markman, 1997, p. 385).…”

Annual Research Review: Interparental conflict and youth psychopathology: an evidence review and practice focused update

“…Four programs had a core focus on conflict within the interparental relationship (see text box), all of which originated from the United States. Evidence from RCTs indicated positive effects, reducing interparental conflict, as well as indicating improvements in child outcomes (Dads for Life, DfL, Cookston, Braver, Griffin, De Luse, & Miles, ; Collaborative Divorce Project, CDP, Pruett, Insabella, & Gustafson, ; Kids in Divorce & Separation, K.I.D.S., Shifflett & Cummings, ; Mentalization, Hertzmann et al., ) with small to moderate effect sizes (where possible to estimate). Three programs were also identified that had a parenting focus with a couple component in the context of divorce/separation (see Table for details).…”

Enhancing Parenting Effectiveness, Fathers' Involvement, Couple Relationship Quality, and Children's Development: Breaking Down Silos in Family Policy Making and Service Delivery

“…This general conclusion also applies to families in which parents are in the process of divorce. In Pruett and Barker's () review of postdivorce interventions with mothers or fathers, or in one study with an intervention for both divorcing partners (M. K. Pruett, Insabella, & Gustafson, ), parents' participation resulted in reduced conflict between the parents and improved outcomes for children.…”