Access Disputes in the Context of the Family Structure after Marital Separation

SynopsisThe interactional structure of a family is altered by the experience and process of marital separation. Access disputes can be conceptualised as both a cause and a consequence of the structural changes that need to occur for the development of a functional post-separation family. The paper discusses the separated family in relation to a number of characteristics identified as necessary for a functional family, and how these are involved in the issues of access. A structural analysis of the family after separation can assist the worker to decide whether an access dispute should result in the modification, suspension or termination of access. Two case examples illustrate the connection between access disputes and the structure of the post-separation family.