Introduction

• Date: 01 January 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12390
• Published date: 01 January 2019

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

IjoinFamily Court Review (FCR) as the new Social Science Editor with anticipation of an intrigu-

ing journey. As Bob Emery passes me the editor torch, I feel like a hiker who has found a well-lit,

well-marked trail that pr omises much. Bob’s steady and sage leadership leaves a path I feel honored

to follow, as he has contributed so much to the journal and the field by increasing the scope and depth

of the issues FCR puts into print. I hope that I, too, can leave a few cairns along that path so that

those wanting to know more about the family law field will find that FCR provides the tools they need

for supporting separated families, court professionals, and the courts themselves. FCR has not only

grown in readership and reputation (we are now one of the highest-ranked family law journals), it has

continued to tackle thorny topics that befuddle and beleaguer the field. In doing so, it invites conflict-

ing opinions and understandings of the laws that govern families, the dynamics that can wreak havoc

on family life, and what research has to say about the genesis of these dynamics and best practices for

responding to them. FCR takes on these issues because it is important to air the issues and not ignore

them or treat them lightly for the sake of tamping down conflict. We cannot help families if we—as a

field—cannot manage our own conflict. FCR has admirably wielded its way through area after area of

controversy for the purpose of exploring, understanding, and offering new ways of intervening in

seemingly intractable problems.

My own interests focus on the nexus between research and intervention, research and policy, and

practice and policy. I believe innovation comes from linking disparate disciplines and ideas to move

beyond silos. This, of course, is the basis on which the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts

was founded more than 55 years ago. Such integration results in new strategies for improving the lives

of children and families. Moving ahead on topics such as children resisting/refusing to spend time

with a parent, shared parenting, innovative dispute resolution strategies, and global sharing of inter-

ventions and research will require tearing down our silos and building bridges that extend over churn-

ing waters and slippery paths. I invite you to submit papers that are not just about successful studies

or programs but about how the work is conceptualized when it feels stuck and fraught. What helps?

What does not help? What resources were drawn upon? How do communities work together?

I look forward to guiding the journal along with my legal colleagues through legal, psychological, and

dispute resolution terrains that constitute the landscape of family law. Join us in climbing, paddling, or

bootstrapping to a better view by sending us your best thinking that reflects new ideas and refinements

on older ones. We will put it through a rigorous peer-review process out of which we believe will emerge

even better, stronger, and fresher ideas presented with the highest quality. If you have creative structures

you wish to see published, such as a debate in an article or a set of papers with a specific purpose, let’s

discuss it. I look forward to hearing from and working with many of you on our shared excursion.

Marsha Kline Pruett

Social Science Editor

Smith College

Northampton, Massachusetts

FAMILY COURT REVIEW, Vol. 57 No. 1, January 2019 7

© 2019 Association of Family and Conciliation Courts