Family Court ReviewPub Date : 2026-07-31Epub Date: 2026-07-20DOI: 10.1111/fcre.70086
Emily Regina
{"title":"Raising the age was not enough: Why New York's RTA legislation needs to be amended to better rehabilitate the adolescents and reduce the abuse within the juvenile justice system","authors":"Emily Regina","doi":"10.1111/fcre.70086","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.70086","url":null,"abstract":"<p>With demands for criminal justice reform in the state of New York, the Raise the Age Legislation was passed in 2017, which changed the age that an individual can be found guilty of a felony and incarcerated in a corrections facility from 16 to 18. While this was a step in the right direction, far too many children and teens are being detained in secure facilities and are not receiving treatment that they need, and are being further subjected to trauma at the hands of the criminal justice system.</p>","PeriodicalId":51627,"journal":{"name":"Family Court Review","volume":"64 3","pages":"628-641"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148647911","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Family Court ReviewPub Date : 2026-07-31Epub Date: 2026-07-01DOI: 10.1111/fcre.70083
Esther Erlings
{"title":"Parent-child mediation in family law: Feasible in South Australia or just a French affair","authors":"Esther Erlings","doi":"10.1111/fcre.70083","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.70083","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The inclusion of children in family mediation is a much-discussed topic in Australia. However, the debate tends to centre around indirect modes of participation (normally via a child consultant), with parents remaining the mediating parties. By contrast, in continental Europe, children are increasingly welcomed at the mediation table, and in 2018, France officially included parent-adolescent mediation in its family mediation structure. This paper reports on a pilot study conducted in South Australia that examined views of family mediators and others working in the field on the feasibility of direct parent–child mediation. It uses the French setting to contrast the situation in Australia, so as to better understand participants' responses in context. The outcomes of the study suggest that, even more than attitudinal barriers, structural barriers such as the role of family mediation in divorce processes, funded mediation style, and lack of training opportunities oppose implementation of direct parent–child mediation in family matters in South Australia. Addressing these barriers, together with changing attitudes driven by children's rights discourse, could make Australian mediators more receptive to what might at present be regarded as an unusual overseas practice requiring radical change.</p>","PeriodicalId":51627,"journal":{"name":"Family Court Review","volume":"64 3","pages":"494-535"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148647868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Family Court ReviewPub Date : 2026-07-31Epub Date: 2026-07-06DOI: 10.1111/fcre.70084
Austin M. Guida
{"title":"Reenvisioning co-parent education: An acceptance and commitment therapy approach to intrapersonal change in high conflict co-parents","authors":"Austin M. Guida","doi":"10.1111/fcre.70084","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.70084","url":null,"abstract":"<p>High-conflict co-parenting inflicts considerable emotional and psychological strain, often hindering parents' capacity for emotional regulation, adaptability, and cooperation. In such cases, intervention is critical. Although co-parenting and divorce education programs have become more common, many still lack a robust theoretical foundation and underprioritize intrapersonal barriers to cooperation. To narrow the gap, this pre-post pilot study examined the impact of a co-parenting education program grounded in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on intrapersonal vulnerabilities of co-parenting–psychological flexibility, co-parenting self-efficacy, and self-regulation. Results indicated significant improvements in self-regulation and co-parenting self-efficacy, and a small-to-medium practical effect was observed in psychological flexibility.</p>","PeriodicalId":51627,"journal":{"name":"Family Court Review","volume":"64 3","pages":"536-550"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148647669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Family Court ReviewPub Date : 2026-07-31Epub Date: 2026-07-07DOI: 10.1111/fcre.70087
Kayla N. Samouha
{"title":"Bodies on loan: The surrogates' dilemma navigating abortion rights in the uncharted post-Dobbs landscape","authors":"Kayla N. Samouha","doi":"10.1111/fcre.70087","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.70087","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Imagine a woman, driven by compassion or the need to provide for her family, agrees to carry a child for someone else. Now, picture her facing a life-threatening complication, begging for medical help, only to be denied because of a law meant to protect the very life she carries. This is the harsh reality for surrogates in a post-Dobbs America, where their health and autonomy are sacrificed on the altar of conflicting laws and contractual obligations. This article explores the legal and ethical issues surrounding surrogacy and abortion rights, proposing a solution that helps to protect the lives of these selfless women.</p>","PeriodicalId":51627,"journal":{"name":"Family Court Review","volume":"64 3","pages":"613-627"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148647670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Family Court ReviewPub Date : 2026-05-19Epub Date: 2026-04-07DOI: 10.1111/fcre.70056
Sherrill Wayland, Carey Candrian, Lori Mars
{"title":"Elder justice: Considerations for LGBTQ+ family systems","authors":"Sherrill Wayland, Carey Candrian, Lori Mars","doi":"10.1111/fcre.70056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.70056","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A lifetime of discrimination, stigma, and harassment for LGBTQ+ older adults may be the source of legal conflict or the lens through which family court matters are perceived and litigated. Interdisciplinary family law professionals must understand the historical context and challenges facing LGBTQ+ older adults to meaningfully and competently work with this community. This article examines older LGBTQ+ family systems and intersections with family law professionals. The compounded stigma within legal and familial structures can increase the risk of elder abuse and neglect for this community. Every situation is different and every family is unique, but opportunities for better outcomes are possible when we support LGBTQ+ family connections.</p>","PeriodicalId":51627,"journal":{"name":"Family Court Review","volume":"64 2","pages":"254-267"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148068020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Family Court ReviewPub Date : 2026-05-19Epub Date: 2026-03-12DOI: 10.1111/fcre.70069
Barbara A. Babb, Michael A. Saini
{"title":"Editorial note","authors":"Barbara A. Babb, Michael A. Saini","doi":"10.1111/fcre.70069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.70069","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51627,"journal":{"name":"Family Court Review","volume":"64 2","pages":"174-175"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148074596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Family Court ReviewPub Date : 2026-05-19Epub Date: 2026-03-23DOI: 10.1111/fcre.70060
Rong Tao Kohtz
{"title":"Cold war maternalism: The ideological legacy of Operation Babylift and intercountry adoption law","authors":"Rong Tao Kohtz","doi":"10.1111/fcre.70060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.70060","url":null,"abstract":"<p>By examining the ideological legacy of Operation Babylift, this article explores the interplay of ideology, power, and intercountry adoption law. Operation Babylift, a U.S. military humanitarian mission in April 1975, airlifted 2,547 children from Vietnam for adoption abroad. Among these adoptees, approximately 1,000 had no valid parental consent or proper documentation. Nguyen v. Kissinger—a class action on behalf of the Operation Babylift adoptees and dozens of lawsuits by some adoptees’ mothers were brought in American courts for the adoptees’ reunification with their mothers and families. The article recounts the rise of Cold War maternalism that laid the ideological and political groundwork for Operation Babylift. Tracing the legislative and policy changes intercountry adoption laws in both South Vietnam and the United States, the article demonstrates how Cold War maternalism eroded legal protections for Vietnamese parents and children American adoption from Vietnam. Through analyses of the reunification cases stemmed from Operation Babylift, the article illustrates the tension and struggles between Cold War maternalism and American courts’ commitment and limitations in protecting the Vietnamese mothers’ parental rights. The article concludes that intercountry adoption law must move away from separating the child's wellbeing from their mother's rights to effectively prevent systemic injustice.</p>","PeriodicalId":51627,"journal":{"name":"Family Court Review","volume":"64 2","pages":"385-409"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148089458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Family Court ReviewPub Date : 2026-05-19Epub Date: 2026-03-21DOI: 10.1111/fcre.70067
Loran Kostense
{"title":"The impact of divorce-related relocation for Dutch children: An empirical-legal survey study","authors":"Loran Kostense","doi":"10.1111/fcre.70067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.70067","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Parental divorce has been associated with adverse child outcomes, potentially exacerbated by additional disruptions like relocation. However, empirical research remains limited, particularly in the Netherlands, where no data currently inform judicial decision-making. This study addresses this gap by surveying 418 Dutch participants (ages 16–35), comparing three groups with different childhood experiences, including divorce-related relocation. Psychological, behavioral, and relational outcomes were assessed, controlling for parental conflict intensity, domestic violence, elapsed time, and other life stressors. Due to the limited number of recent divorce cases in the sample, findings primarily reflect long-term effects, potentially explaining the absence of certain associations and suggesting a “fading” effect over time. Contrary to prior research, psychological and behavioral outcomes are linked not to divorce and relocation, but to parental conflict and stressful life events. Father-child relationship quality correlates negatively with both divorce and relocation, though relocation does not exacerbate this effect. In contrast, mother–child relationship quality appears negatively associated with relocation, influenced by parental conflict and life stressors. Participants experiencing relocation report the highest levels of parental conflict intensity and domestic violence, suggesting a heightened exposure to conflict. Professionals handling relocation cases should consider the broader family dynamics. However, as results reflect averages, they may not apply to every case.</p>","PeriodicalId":51627,"journal":{"name":"Family Court Review","volume":"64 2","pages":"410-426"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/fcre.70067","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148089537","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Family Court ReviewPub Date : 2026-05-19Epub Date: 2026-03-23DOI: 10.1111/fcre.70054
Linda Fieldstone, Sue Bronson
{"title":"Introduction to the special issue: Eldering in family law","authors":"Linda Fieldstone, Sue Bronson","doi":"10.1111/fcre.70054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.70054","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51627,"journal":{"name":"Family Court Review","volume":"64 2","pages":"176-177"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148089456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Family Court ReviewPub Date : 2026-05-19Epub Date: 2026-03-30DOI: 10.1111/fcre.70055
Michael Saini, Linda Fieldstone, Sue Bronson
{"title":"Psychometric validation and comparative analysis of the eldercaring conflict checklist (ECC): Evaluating the short form version","authors":"Michael Saini, Linda Fieldstone, Sue Bronson","doi":"10.1111/fcre.70055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.70055","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Eldercaring Conflict Checklist (ECC) was initially developed as a comprehensive 70-item measure to assess eldercaring family conflicts. The ECC short-form offers a more practical version for use by professionals while retaining psychometric integrity. Two studies involving a total sample of 354 family and eldercare professionals were combined to assess the newly created 28-item ECC. Results found the short-form reliable in terms of total score and across subdomains. Participants valued the ECC as a practical screening tool adaptable to diverse eldercaring contexts. Implications include more intentional selection of interventions for multigenerational families based on the severity and typology of conflicts identified.</p>","PeriodicalId":51627,"journal":{"name":"Family Court Review","volume":"64 2","pages":"268-283"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/fcre.70055","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148098768","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}