While approximately 50,000 Australian children experience parental separation or divorce each year the majority have access to each parent without conflict and distress. However, there are some who are unable to find safe and peaceful ways for children to move between homes or remaining in contact with a parent. For these families Children’s Contact Services provide a safe, monitored, and neutral place for either supervised visitations or handovers. Around 3% of these parents are following court orders where there have been child safety concerns, domestic violence, or the re-introduction of a child to their parent who has been absent from the child’s life for a considerable time.
The Cost of Family Conflict
Children exposed to family conflict and especially family violence are at greater risk of developing physical, emotional, and behavioural difficulties. Internalising symptoms include depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and suicidal thoughts, while externalising signs include difficulties with emotional self-regulation and challenging and aggressive behaviours. These symptoms can be explained as a result of a family climate of conflict and hostility which threatens the child’s sense of safety. Parents who cannot agree present children with contradictory and confusing models of how to express and regulate difficult emotions. For adults, the chronic stress created by conflict can result in physical symptoms and depression and anxiety further undermining parenting capacity.
What Do We Know of Parents Attending Contact Centres
While there is comprehensive research about the impact of high conflict separations on children and adults, less is understood about the adults who utilise contact centres. Authors Martínez-Pampliega et al (2026) were interested to explore the distinct profiles of parents attending Supervised Family Centres in Spain and their relationship with reported child symptomatology. The aim was to provide ‘a more nuanced framework for assessment, case conceptualization, and the development of tailored interventions aligned with the specific needs of each profile.’
504 separated parents participated in the study which collected data on interparental conflict, co-parenting, family violence, parental physical and psychological symptoms, and resilience.
What Did They Find
Three distinct profiles were identified: moderate conflict and resilience, adaptive adjustment with low conflict and moderate co-parenting quality, and high conflict and symptomatology. Children in the third group experienced higher levels of emotional distress, peer difficulties, and child to parent violence. These three profiles were independent of the child’s age, gender, or time since divorce; however, mothers were overrepresented in group 3 which may reflect the higher percentage of women who are solely responsible for children. While over 85% of participants reported low levels of co-parenting and shared purpose, the three distinct ‘profiles were differentiated by intensity of conflict, intrafamily violence, and symptomatology.’ The results are congruent with a systemic conceptualisation which factors in both interpersonal dynamics of parents to children and with each other and intrapersonal factors. Child to parent violence was also higher in group 3 and is consistent with literature that shows higher rates in children with longer exposure to parental conflict.
How is this Useful?
While the authors acknowledge the study has limitations, they suggest that ‘identifying distinct profiles of risk and resilience may provide a more nuanced framework for assessment and intervention in high-conflict post-separation families.’ Appreciating the importance of the contribution of each level of the system from the individual to the parents, child and family and broader community provides practitioners richer information to develop better interventions to protect vulnerable children.
Martínez-Pampliega, A., Sesé A., Cormenzana, S. Merino, L. (2026) User Profiles in Supervised Family Centers and Their Relationship with Childhood Symptomatology, Family Process, 2026; 65:e70198 https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.70198
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