After domestic abuse: children's perspectives on contact with fathers

Abstract

Contact between children and their fathers following parental separation is a sensitive and controversial subject. This is especially so where there has been a history of domestic abuse before parental separation. This briefing outlines the findings of a Master’s thesis that aimed to gain children’s perspectives on this issue. Key findings included: 1. Children were acutely aware of the domestic abuse that had occurred and of the impact it had on their and their mother’s relationships with their father, even when they had not been physically abused themselves. 2. Children reported a mix of feelings towards their father including anger and sadness about his violence and the loss of a father figure. The overwhelming emotion they reported was intense fear towards their father. 3. Fear dominated the children’s considerations about contact with their fathers. Those fears included fear of kidnapping or abduction, fear of further abuse by their fathers and fear of their fathers’ anger. 4. Children considered their and their mothers’ safety to be the most important factors when making decisions about contact with fathers who had been abusive. 5. Children felt that ‘forcing’ them to have unwanted contact with their father would have a detrimental affect on them. 6. Children felt that they should make a significant contribution to decisions relating to contact with their fathers. They felt their opinions were important, as it was their lives about which decisions were being made