Reshaping Responses to Children When Parents are Separating: Hearing Children's Voices in the Transition

Abstract

The present paper reports on the findings of a research project involving a literature review and telephone interviews with children whose parents had separated or divorced. The aim of the research was to hear children's accounts of their experiences and needs during the transition in order to inform the development of a child-centred model of service delivery. The author recommends a number of strategies to assist service providers to enhance the wellbeing of children experiencing family separations.

Keywords:

• Children
• Divorce
• Separation
• Transition

Acknowledgements

The author thanks the Telstra Foundation for supporting the Children and Families in Transition Project, a partnership between the University of South Australia and Centacare Catholic Family Services (SA), Karolyne Quinn for her assistance with this article, and the Women's Information Service, Birte Schmidt, Centacare staff and UniSA students for their assistance with the phone-in.

Notes

¹A new child-centred website (Children and Teens First or ‘CHaT First’) was launched in April 2007 by the Children and Families in Transition project (http://www.chatfirst.com.au)