Toward a child-centered approach to evaluating claims of alienation in high-conflict custody disputes.

Theories of parental alienation abound in high-conflict custody cases. The image of one parent brainwashing a child against the other parent fits with what we think we know about family dynamics during divorce. The concept of a diagnosable "Parental Alienation Syndrome" ("PAS") developed as an attempt to explain this phenomenon, but it has been widely discredited by mental health professionals and thus fails the standard for evidentiary admissibility. Nevertheless, PAS and related theories continue to influence the decisions of family courts, and even in jurisdictions that explicitly reject such theories, judges still face the daunting task of resolving these volatile cases. In the midst of this highly adversarial process, children deserve independent representation to ensure that their interests remain front and center. Mandating the appointment of guardians ad litem in cases involving allegations of abuse or alienation will assist courts in conducting individualized, fact-specific investigations into such allegations to craft custody orders that serve the best interests of children.

Valoración de la gravedad de las situaciones de desprotección infantil por los profesionales de los Servicios de Protección Infantil / Child Protection Services caseworkers’ assessment of child maltreatment severity

Los objetivos de esta investigación fueron conocer la validez y el grado de acuerdo entre los profesionales de los Servicios de Protección Infantil (SPI) en sus valoraciones sobre la gravedad de situaciones de desprotección, así como la influencia de variables ajenas al niño o la familia sobre dicha valoración. Se llevaron a cabo dos estudios independientes con 515 y 168 profesionales, respectivamente, de los SPI de dos comunidades autónomas. En ambos estudios se utilizaron viñetas que representaban situaciones de desprotección infantil de diferentes niveles de gravedad que debían ser calificadas utilizando los criterios que los profesionales aplicaban en su trabajo cotidiano. Los resultados de ambos estudios mostraron bajos porcentajes de profesionales que calificaron correctamente todas las viñetas presentadas y elevados porcentajes de profesionales que cometieron un significativo número de errores. Los profesionales no alcanzaron un 80% de acuerdo para ningún nivel de gravedad en ninguna de las viñetas. No se observaron diferencias significativas en el número de errores en función del contexto de trabajo, sexo, disciplina profesional, grado de dedicación a SPI o años de experiencia (AU)

The goals of this research were to explore accuracy and consistency in the assessment of child maltreatment severity in Spanish Child Protection Services (CPS) and the influence of caseworker’s service, gender, professional discipline, degree of dedication to CPS, and years of experience on the accuracy of the assessment of maltreatment severity. Two studies were conducted with 515 and 168 caseworkers from two Spanish CPSs. Case vignettes were used. Caseworkers of both groups were asked to rate severity of the assigned case vignettes, applying the criteria used in their daily work. Caseworkers in both studies obtained low levels of accurate ratings. None of the total vignettes obtained a percentage higher than 80% of interrater agreement. No significant relationships were found between accuracy of ratings and caseworkers’ service, gender, professional discipline, degree of dedication to CPS, and years of experience (AU)

Obtaining the child testimony in the criminal proceedings.

Children fall under the special category of vulnerable witnesses. Children's vulnerability is the reason that we must approach obtaining the child's testimony in the criminal proceedings with special attention. It is important to take the child's testimony as soon as possible and to avoid the repetition of interrogation. The criminal proceedings law and the juvenile court law enable children interrogation through the professional person without the presence of other parties in the procedure and enable the recording of such interrogation by audio-video link which considerably diminish the secondary victimization. The professionals who obtain the testimony must be well acquainted with children's psychological development. Knowledge of psychological development is of major importance in order to make the quality arrangements for interrogation and to interrogate the child and to achieve positive social contact between the examiner and the examinee and it is also of great importance for the credibility evaluation of the child's testimony. The adequate way of children interrogation will enable the child to say the correct information and to recognize the perpetrator. The forensic interview is well elaborated and child adapted technique of interrogation. Respecting the rules of forensic interview will enable the child's testimony on court to be relevant evidence.

Prescription privileges for psychologists: opinions of pediatric psychologists and pediatricians.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the opinions of pediatricians and pediatric psychologists concerning prescription privileges for psychologists. METHODS: 213 pediatric psychologists and 119 pediatricians returned surveys regarding their opinions about cost, access, and quality of psychological care if psychologists had prescription privileges. RESULTS: Pediatric psychologists had significantly more positive views of prescription privileges than pediatricians. Despite not being in favor of prescription privileges, most pediatricians said that prescription privileges would not negatively impact their professional relationship, although approximately 37% said it would. CONCLUSION: Pediatric psychologists and pediatricians differ significantly in their opinions about prescription privileges for psychologists. The implications of these findings for the working relationship between these two disciplines are discussed.

Apuntes para una historia de lasinstituciones de menores en España / History of juvenile institutions in Spain: an overview

En 1918 se crean en España los tribunales específicos para niños cuya andadura ocupará todo el siglo XIX. Con anterioridad sólo se dio un tratamiento institucional puntual y casi exclusivamente benéfico y altruista a esta cuestión: en este artículo hacemos referencia a algunas de las instituciones y legislaciones anteriores al siglo XIX. El núcleo central del trabajo se basa en el análisis legislativo institucional y el consecuente modo de intervención con los menores disociales derivado de la llamada "ley Montero Ríos" de 1918 en homenaje a su redactor. Conectamos el anterior desarrollo con las dificultades y peculiaridades de la reciente "ley reguladora de la responsabilidad penal de los menores" de 2001 que sustituye a la anterior y eleva la edad penal a los 18 años (AU)

[Decision of German Supreme Court on July 30, 1999 relating to scientific evidence requirements for psychological expert opinion with respect to credibility of testimony and its consequences for future expert consultation]. / Das Urteil des Bundesgerichtshofs vom 30. Juli 1999 zur Frage der wissenschaftlichen Anforderungen an aussagepsychologische Begutachtungen (Glaubhaftigkeitsgutachten) und die Folgen für die Sachverständigentätigkeit.

Basically nothing has been changed by this significant, clarifying, establishing and, most important, determining decision of the Highest Federal Court concerning the specific methods long since applied by experts in the field of deciding whether or not a testimony is believeable. None the less such a decision through the higher courts was obviously long overdue because numerous opinions of experts utilized in court cases were reached by applying methods not free of fault. The psychological evaluation of the content of truth in a testimony in cases of sexual abuse will therefore still be established with help of a methodical procedure of steps made under the assumption that statements pertaining to personal experiences differ in quality from those resulting from imagination in their characteristics of reality.

Clinical advice from the bench.

This article discusses three aspects of family law: (1) a new approach to custody litigation currently in use in one family law court in New Mexico; (2) why some judges, lawyers, and family courts are slow to change the way family law cases are managed; and (3) how mental health professionals might change their interactions with the legal system to benefit both their professions and the people they serve.