title: Child custody disputes within the context of child protection investigations: secondary analysis of the Canadian Incident Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect.
abstract: This national study of child custody disputes within the context of child protection investigations confirms and reinforces the perception in the field that child custody disputes are more likely to reopen for investigations, include higher rates of malicious referrals and involve a higher proportion of children with emotional and functioning issues compared to non-custody-related investigations. Future research might consider the reasons for these higher rates so to improve the identification of these cases and to make more informed decisions about how best to respond to these families. The greatest contribution of this study is that it provides important new evidence to reinforce the need to prioritize child custody disputes within the context of child protection services given the unique challenges and opportunities for making well-informed case plan decisions.
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Saini
authors.forename: Tara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fallon
authors.forename: Alena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marshall
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002655:Child Custody / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D034462:Dissent and Disputes / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D004243:Divorce / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data