Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Research has demonstrated the significant negative impact of ongoing inter-parental conflict on children (PR Amato, ‘The Consequences of Divorce for Adults and Children’ (2000) 62(4) Journal of Marriage and the Family 1269; B Rodgers and J Pryor, Divorce and separation: The outcomes for children (Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 1998); J Wallerstein and S Blakeslee, The unexpected legacy of divorce (Hyperion, 2000)). In addition to the harm they may be causing their children, ‘high conflict’ separated and divorced parents have frustrated attorneys and created additional workloads for the courts. In reaction to these issues, courts and state legislatures have often turned to …