Parental Separation and Overnight Care of Young Children, Part II: Putting Theory into Practice

Abstract

This article is a companion piece to the empirical and theoretical perspectives on infant overnight care arrangements offered in Part I. Grounded in an integrated psycho‐developmental perspective, the paper provides a set of clinical assumptions and a related chart of practical considerations, to guide decision making about infant overnight care, both in the individual case and in broader policy contexts. At all levels of decision making, we endorse the need for developmentally sensitive resolutions that protect both the vulnerabilities of early childhood and support lifelong parent–child relationships, whenever possible. Key Points for the Family Court Community: Parenting orders or plans for children 0–3 years of age should foster both developmental security and the health of each parent–child relationship, now and into the future. From a position of theoretical and empirical consensus, we provide an integrated set of assumptions and considerations to guide decision making about overnight parenting plans. These considerations apply equally to planning in the individual case and to policy level decisions.