FROM INFANTS TO ADOLESCENTS A Developmental Approach to Parenting Plans |
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| Authors: | Risa J. Garon Danielle Saba Donner Kristin Peacock |
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| Affiliation: | Risa J. Garon, LCSW-C, BCD, CFLE is executive director and co-founder of the Children of Separation and Divorce Center. She has developed a constellation of clinical services and educational programs for children, youth, and families, and has worked extensively as a clinician for the past 16 years. She and her staff pioneered divorce education for parents in the state of Maryland. She has chaired and remains active on the Maryland Advocacy Board for Children of Divorce and is currently an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. She has co-authored several publications, including;Guidelines for Child Focused Decision Making, Attorneys Representing Children: Guidelines for Interviewing and Assessing Children and Parents Experiencing Separation and Divorce, Talking to Your Children about Separation and Divorce, Kidshare: Taking Good Care of Yourself and has published numerous journal articles. Ms. Garon has trained judges, attorneys for children, mediators and mental health professionals around the country. Danielle Saba Donner, JD, MSW, is the assistant director of training and publications and a therapist at the Children of Separation and Divorce Center. In addition, she is a staff attorney at the Maryland State Attorney General's Office in the Department of Human Resources Division. She coauthored and edited;Attorneys Representing Children: Guidelines for Interviewing and Assessing Children and Parents Experiencing Separation and Divorce. Her articles have appeared in the Maryland Law Review and the Journal of Family Law. Kristin Peacock, JD, MSW is a staff attorney at the Baltimore City Department of Social Services representing social workers in cases involving child abuse and neglect. Her professional work includes experiences as a social worker and attorney providing direct services to children and families, as well as endeavors in the public policy and community organizing arenas. |
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| Abstract: | Divorce and the resultant process of child custody decision making impact heavily on the lives of children. Increasingly, parents and professionals have realized the importance of encouraging shared responsibility in child rearing following separation and divorce. This shared responsibility must continue throughout a child's life and into young adulthood. This article introduces a comprehensive child-and family-focused model of decision making. The goal of this model is to assist professionals in their work with parents and to help parents formulate parenting plans that reflect the ever-changing developmental needs of each child and that specify how each parent will meet the particular needs of each child in the family. Through the use of educational parenting seminars and the completion of a Needs Assessment for each child, flexible parenting plans are created and positive co-parenting skills develop. |
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