Nur Izzah High Conflict Families Impact on Childrens Emotional Health

7/30/2019 Nur Izzah High Conflict Families Impact on Childrens Emotional Health

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HIGH CONFLICT FAMILIES

&IMPLICATIONS ON CHILDREN’S

EMOTIONAL HEALTH

Nur Izzah Amir

Senior Assistant Director

Counselling & Psychological ServicesSubordinate Courts



Types of Court Users

in Family & JuvenileCourt

• People going throughdivorce and custody

conflicts

• People withpsychological difficulties

• People who had been beaten up, betrayed by their loved ones

• People who are in needof financial and socialhelp

• Young people who havelost their wa

© CAPS, Subordinate Courts. Materials from this slide may not be reproduced in any format, for any purpose, without written permission from CAPS, Subordinate Courts



SINGAPORE DIVORCE RATES

Divorce Writs Filed:

Year 2000: 4,144

Year 2012: 6,276

51%increase

© CAPS, Subordinate Courts. Materials from this slide may not be reproduced in any format, for

any purpose, without written permission from CAPS, Subordinate Courts



Consider the Children

Over 5395

children under

21 years old




Changes in divorceChanges in

Family LifeSense of Loss Change of Status

• Housing & living

arrangements

• Family finances

• Relationships

with extended

family andfriends

• Parenting roles

and

responsibilities

• Spouse

• Family Life

• Security

• Sexual

Relationship

• Being single-

again

• Questions:

“Who am I?”

“What do I

want to do in life?”



Consider the children• “Conflict between parents is a consistent predictor of increased psychological difficulties among children fromdivorced—and married—families. Numerous experimentaland field studies point to the detrimental role of parentalconflict, particularly conflict that is extended, open, angry,unresolved, and involves the child (Cummings, 1987; Emery,1982, 1988; Grych & Fincham, 1990).

• “The stress caused by exposure to anger is perhaps the mostnotable consequence of parental conflict on children. Children

as young as 18 months old become emotionally upset whenthey witness angry exchanges between adults, and by the ageof 5 or 6, children’s distress is evident in their attempts tointervene in the conflict (Cummings, Zahn-Waxler, & Radke- Yarrow, 1981, 1984). 205



Children may blame themselves

Children may have to cope with additional changes-

school, friends, uncles/aunties, activities

Children may have to cope with change of

schedules – meal times, babysitters etc.

Children may seem fine on surface, but there

may be hidden signs of difficulties

Impact on Children

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Consider the Children Video

• EMBED VIDEO HERE(Jointly produced by MSF and Subordinate Courts)



Protective Factors Identified in

Research on Children and DivorceIndividual Factors Family Factors Extra-familial Factors

Realistic appraisal

of control

Accurate

attributions

Active coping style

Effective copingskills

Protection from inter-

parental conflict

Psychological

wellbeing of parents

Solid, supportive

parent-child

relationships

Authoritative parenting

Household stability and

structure

Supportive

relationship withpositive adults

Supportive networks;

family, school,

community

Evidence-based

preventive

interventions,

providing skills and

training




Processes & Practices:

o A Helping Court

o Best Interest of Children First

o Holistic Case Management

o Amicable Dispute Resolution

o Complementary Network of External Partners

Family Court Philosophy

P

h i l o s o p h y






• From 26 September 2011

• Post-filing Divorce Writ

• At least 1 child below 14 years of age (w.e.f

1 July 2013)

o Early conciliatory forum for parents

▫ From Self-focused to Child-focused

▫ From Marital Relationship to ParentalRelationship

▫ From Adversary to Collaborators

Mandatory Counselling & Mediation

Child Focused Resolution Centre (CFRC)




Problems Need to be Solved

“The notion that ordinary people want black-robed judges, well-dressed lawyers, and fine paneled

courtrooms as the setting to resolve their disputesis not correct.

People with problems, like people with pain,

want relief, and they want it as quickly and as inexpensively as possible”

Warren E. Burger, former Chief Justice of the USA

Our Vicious Spiral (1977) Judges Journal 22, 49



Strategic Community

PartnershipsThe scope of transformative justice extends

beyond the courtroom to the families and even tothe community….moving beyond litigants…... in

partnership and collaboration with communityagencies to advocate for:

re-integration,

not disintegrationreconciliation, not severing

restitution/forgiveness,

not revenge




3 Key Points

• Parents play an important role in

the lives of their children

• Children’s voices need to be

heard

• Children need to be protectedfrom harm




A Fairy Tale

Openly he says: Sir, when I grow upI want to be a fine man; someone like you.

Secretly he says: You old fool, I’ll join

A gang like Applejackers or Navarones

And if we catch you in the street We will break all your bones.



You say you teach me about life

But you don’t know that life is strife

Between mother and father.



Life is a drunk father on payday,

And mother with her feller on Saturday.

Life is sickness and no cash for doctor. What you teach as life is just a fairy tale.

Anson Gonzalez



• Subordinate Courts

www.subcourts.gov.sg

• Family Court

www.familycourtofsingapore.gov.sg

• Juvenile Courtwww.juvenilecourtofsingapore.gov.sg

Our Website addresses

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Nur Izzah High Conflict Families Impact on Childrens Emotional Health