37. Warshak, PhD (2003); Payoffs and Pitfalls of Listening to Children
CLICK HERE FOR RESEARCH PAPER(FIRST THREE PAGES OF RESEARCH PAPER ONLY)
All too often, custody and 'contact' evaluators use the 'voice of the child' to decide outcomes. In doing so, they claim to be upholding the child's right to be heard, when in fact they could be undermining the child's right to a family life and a meaningful relationship with a parent.
Dr Richard Warshak writes:
"Children’s perspectives can enlighten decisions regarding custody and parenting plans, but different opinions exist about how best to involve children in the decision-making process. This article discusses why most procedures for soliciting children’s preferences do not reliably elicit information on their best interests and do not give children a meaningful voice in decision making.
'Instead, these procedures provide children with forums in which to takes sides in their parents’ disputes. In addition to hearing an individual child’s voice, decision makers can use the collective voice of children, as revealed in research on such topics as joint custody, overnight stays, and relocation to help understand what children might say about these issues with the hindsight of maturity and in the absence of parental pressure, loyalty conflicts, inhibitions, and limitations in perspective and articulation."
