High-Conflict Family Cases Involving a Child Protection Agency: Report on Experience of Child Welfare and Family Justice Professionals and Suggestions for Good Practices

Abstract

Child protection agencies (CPAs) are increasingly becoming involved in high conflict custody and access cases. High conflict cases often involve a number of dynamics that place children at risk of harm. Allegations of domestic violence (DV), child abuse, and alienation are common in high conflict cases. This paper reports on information collected from interviews with 64 Ontario professionals who have experience with high conflict separations that involve CPAs. These professionals include judges, parents’ lawyers, lawyers from the Ontario Office of the Children’s Lawyer (OCL), OCL clinical investigators (CI’s), private custody assessors, mediators, as well as CPA workers, supervisors and lawyers. The paper concludes by offering some recommendations for the different professional groups who confront high conflict family cases involving child protection intervention.