Manipulation and Domestic Abuse in Contested Contact – Threats to Children's Participation Rights

AuthorJane E. M. Callaghan,Fiona Morrison,E. Kay M. Tisdall
DOIhttp://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12479
Published date01 April 2020
Date01 April 2020
MANIPULATION AND DOMESTIC ABUSE IN CONTESTED
CONTACT THREATS TO CHILDRENS PARTICIPATION RIGHTS
Fiona Morrison, E. Kay M. Tisdall, and Jane E. M. Callaghan
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has catalysed numerous jurisdictions to introduce newlegal provi-
sions to support childrens participation rights when child contact is contested. Despite this, childrens participation is fre-
quently limited in practice, especially in contexts where children are perceived as vulnerable to a parents manipulation, even
if there are allegations of domestic abuse. While resist and refusal dynamicshave yet to become mainstream terms in Scot-
tish family law, manipulationhas become a common concern in cases of contested contact. Drawing on a Scottish empiri-
cal study on contested child contact in circumstances of domestic abuse, we interrogate the implications that the concept of
manipulation has for childrens participation rights. The study involved separate in-depth interviews with 18 children and
their 16 mothers. Findings point to concerns about upholding childrens participation rights, particularly in cases where chil-
dren were depicted as inuencedor manipulated.Through our analysis, we disentangle the problems professionals have
when concerns about child manipulation and domestic abuse intersect. We argue that, when combined, allegations of manip-
ulation and domestic abuse present a signicant and serious risk to childrens participation rights. We nd the legal construc-
tion of the childs views as separate from the parental dispute to have unintended and serious consequences for childrens
participation rights. We offer ways in which law and practice may evolve to ensure childrens participation rights in these
contexts are both implemented and upheld.
PractitionersKey Points:
The combination of allegations of manipulation and domestic abuse present a signicant and serious risk to childrens
participation rights in contested child contact
A legal construction of the childs views as separate to the parental dispute to have unintended and serious conse-
quences for childrens participation rights
Radical reform in family law and practice is necessary to make disputes about child contact centered around the
child, rather than on parental responsibilities and rights.
Keywords: Alienation; Child Contact; Child Rights; Domestic Abuse; Family Law; Manipulation; Participation; Visitation.
Childrens rights to par ticipate in decisions that affect their lives is established in the UN Con-
vention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). These rights are further assured in primary legisla-
tion for Scottish family law, the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, as well as in the accompanying
procedures and mechanisms. Despite this progressive platform, there is growing recognition in civic
advocacy, professional commentary and research (e.g., Mackay, 2013; Morrison, Tisdall, Reid, &
Jones, 2013; Tisdall, 2016) that childrens participation rights are not adequately assured in practice.
At the time of writing, a large-scale consultation has been undertaken on family law by the Scottish
Government,
1
which documents the current failings when allegations of domestic abuse and paren-
tal manipulation intersect with contested child contact (the Scottish term for accessor visitation
with a parent who does not have primary care of a child). In this article, we draw from these recent
discussions in Scottish family law and an empirical study on contested child contact in circum-
stances of domestic abuse to interrogate the implications of the concept manipulationfor chil-
drens participation rights. Our ndings raise ongoing questions about childrens rights to participate
generally, and particularly if children are seen to be inuenced unduly or manipulated by one or
Correspondence: f.morrison@stir.ac.uk
This research was funded by ESRC Grant Number: ES/G028796/1.
FAMILY COURT REVIEW, Vol. 58 No. 2, April 2020 403416
© 2020 Association of Family and Conciliation Courts

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