A common time for parents to separate is when their child or children are very young. Many families seek help in setting up and managing contact arrangements but there is no uniform approach. We see through our work with  families that parents often struggle to determine how to best share the parenting of their young children. This can be extremely challenging for parents and children alike, particularly in situations where there is conflict, abuse and/or limited contact between parents.

To research this area and determine a best practice set of guidelines for parents and professionals, One Family commissioned a joint team from University College Cork and Trinity College Dublin  to research Guidance on Contact Time for Infants and Young Children in Separated Families. The research was conducted by Dr Simone Mc Caughren, Dr Stephanie Holt, Dr Aisling Parkes and Soma Gregory and was funded by the Late, Late Toy Show Appeal and Community Foundation of Ireland. The best practice guidelines were developed by One Family using the research findings.

The Research

The research consisted of an in-depth international literature review on the issue of contact for children aged 0-6 year olds in separated families; the distribution of an online survey for parents who have experience sharing parenting of infants and young children; two focus groups with professionals working in the area of family law, one with social care professionals and one with legal professionals; and six interviews with members of the Irish judiciary working in the area of family law.

Research Report
Best Practice Guidelines

These guidelines are informed by the research carried out on One Family’s behalf by Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork and by One Family’s work with separated families.

Best Practice Guidelines

Research Team

Dr Simone McCaughren led the One Family commissioned research project which forms the focus for this event and resulted in the publication of the interdisciplinary report and Guidance on Contact Time for Infants and Young Children in Separated Families. Together with Dr Parkes, Professor Holt and Soma Gregory, this ground-breaking piece of work provided a cross disciplinary perspective spanning social work/policy, law and psychology of the considerations for very young children in family law proceedings in Ireland. This ambitious research study was empirical in nature and engaged with various dimensions of the legal system, which has been untouched by research to date.

Dr Simone McCaughren
Assistant Professor, School of Social Work and Social Policy in Trinity College Dublin
Simone has a well-established record in academia and is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work and Social Policy in Trinity College Dublin. Prior to this she worked as a lecturer in the School of Applied Social Studies in University College Cork. The predominant focus of her scholarship is one that carries a strong human rights ethos in areas that encompass adoption practice and law, contact with children post-adoption, foster care to adoption and contact with children post-separation. Most recently Simone, along with Dr Parkes commenced commissioned research for the Adoption Authority of Ireland that will explore the lived experiences of children and families in the context of international adoption.

Dr. Aisling Parkes
Senior Lecturer in Law, School of law, University College Cork
Aisling has conducted research of an interdisciplinary nature in a range of different areas connected to international children’s rights including; the right of the child to be heard, adoption law and practice, the rights of children in care,  and children’s rights in sport. Her book, Children and Human Rights Law: The Right of the Child to be Heard, was published by Routledge-Cavendish in 2015. Aisling’s work has been published in a range of international peer reviewed journals and she has shared her work at national and international events. Aisling has been the recipient of a number academic awards.
Aisling is currently leading a Department of Justice commissioned project, together with Dr McCaughren and Dr Kenneth Burns on the operation of the in camera rule in family law and child care proceedings.
Stephanie Holt, PhD
Professor in Social Work, FTCD in the School of Social Work & Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin
Stephanie is Professor in Social Work in the School of Social Work & Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin where she has worked since 2000. Prior to that, Stephanie worked as a social worker in both Belfast and Dublin, across Children in Care, Child Protection and Family Support teams. Stephanie has researched and published primarily in the areas of child welfare and gender-based violence. She has a particular interest in engaging children and young people in research in order to bring new insights into how very young children experience adversity such as GBV. She is PI on a Women’s Aid commissioned study exploring how adult and child victim/survivors of domestic violence and abuse experience navigating family law in guardianship, custody and access cases. She is also Co-PI on a DCEDIY commissioned study focused on how care experienced adults are getting on, ten years after leaving care.
Soma Gregory
Research Assistant and PhD candidate in the School of Social Work and Social Policy in Trinity College Dublin
A graduate with distinction (1.1) from the Applied Social Research Masters programme, Soma has experience in conducting social research, with strong skills in quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods data collection and analysis. Beyond her research experience, Soma was a practitioner in frontline domestic violence services from 2010-2016.  This work has given her a comprehensive understanding of domestic and gender-based violence and its impact on women and children. She has extensive experience in supporting women with custody and access arrangements with their abusive ex-partners, as well as experience with court accompaniment.