06/05/2026
🟪📚 IMPORTANT NEW STUDY BY SIMON LAPIERRE, ALEXANDRA VINCENT AND MICHÈLE FRENETTE 🟪
🟣 Domestic Violence and Child Custody Proceedings: Children’s Voices in Family Evaluations
Children & Society (2026) 🟣
This new study analyzes 23 child custody evaluation reports conducted in Quebec in cases where domestic violence was present.
The findings are concerning:
➡️ Children’s voices are often marginalized or ignored in custody evaluations.
➡️ Evaluators frequently give little weight to children’s experiences, fears, wishes, and feelings.
➡️ When children express fear of their father, wish to reduce contact, or refuse visitation, their statements may be interpreted as the result of “loyalty conflicts” or alleged “parental alienation,” rather than as genuine expressions of their lived experiences.
➡️ The authors found that many evaluators interpret children’s needs on their behalf, prioritizing the preservation of the father-child relationship even when this does not align with the child’s wishes or sense of safety.
➡️ The study also demonstrates that violence is still too often viewed through the lens of “high conflict” or “severe conflict,” which tends to obscure coercive control, power imbalances, and the real impacts on children.
The authors raise a fundamental question:
Do custody evaluations truly allow children to be heard, or are their voices lost in the translation provided by the adults speaking on their behalf?
The article reminds us that children are rights-holders under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Their views should not only be sought, but also taken seriously and meaningfully considered in decisions affecting their lives.
One statement captures the essence of the study’s findings:
“When children speak about fear, discomfort, or refusal, their words should not automatically be interpreted as the result of parental influence. Instead, they should first be understood as essential information about their safety, experiences, and needs.”
This study makes an important contribution to current discussions on post-separation abuse, coercive control, children’s rights, and family court practices.
👉 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/chso.70059?download=true
