Shared Parenting Information Group (SPIG) UK

Contents

• The Nature of the Problem
  • The Rationale for Contact: Its Benefits and Risks
  • The Nature of Parental Resistance to Contact: Why are contact disputes so often so intractable?
• Making Contact Work: How can contact arrangements best be made and sustained?
• The enforcement of contact Orders
• What happens in other Countries?
  • Imprisonment:
    • whether there is a power to imprison;
    • whether this is used in practice;
    • if an order forimprisonment is made whether this is ordered to take effect immediately or is suspended;
    • if imprisonment is ordered what is the usual term;
  • Fine:
    • whether there is a power to fine;
    • whether power used;
    • Amount of fine;
  • Transfer of custody: whether a court might order a transfer of custody to the parent who has been denied access in breach of an order;
  • Education Programmes: whether these are available to encourage co-operation and reduce conflict;
  • Mediation: whether this is available to improve communication, manage conflict, and facilitate agreement;
  • Encouragement: what other means of encouragement to co-operate are available?
  • Opposition by child: whether a child has a right to oppose access;
  • General comments: whether there are any general comments about their system of enforcement or facilitation of enforcement of contact not already covered.
• The specific questions to which we seek responses
• A summary of how other Countries approach these Issues

Available in Adobe format: http://www.open.gov.uk/lcd/family/abfl.pdf

or by post from:

The Secretariat
Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Board on Family Law
Third Floor South
Southside
105 Victoria Street
London, SW1E 6QT

Responses required by 22 June 2001