Ncfr Practitioners Need to Cultivate an Ongoing

NCFR

Practitioners need to cultivate an ongoing understanding of legal issues, and be aware of policy constraints on their practice. The National Council on Family Relations suggests that the well being of families and communities depends directly on practitioner awareness of support services available, public policy, and legal protection relevant to the target population (NCFR, 2011). NFCR (2011) Content Area 8 pertains to family law, public policy, and related issues. Research should reveal specific content areas that practitioners should focus on, depending on their areas of expertise. Relying on evidence and case law ensures best practices. The following article reviews present examples of current research in the area of family law and public policy related to family practices in accordance with NCFR (2011) Content Area 8.

Davis, D.W. (2008). Patrick Parkinson & Judy Cashmore: The voice of a child in family law disputes. Book Review. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 40(2011).

This book review unearths some of the most common and important problems with divorce law, childcare law, and family law. In addition to providing relevant background and contextual information, the book review shows how recent legal trends have been toward including adolescent voices in divorce case proceedings. The book discusses the potential ethical problems associated with this trend, and engages the reader to examine implications for personal practice. The various actors in the legal proceedings and the different stakeholders are addressed, making the book review a thorough analysis of prevailing issues in family law.

Although it is not empirical research, the book review reminds readers of the trends in literature and research. The book review offers an outline and overview of the chapters contained in the book, a total of eight. The problem of adolescent participation in court proceedings is examined in chapter one. Many readers will wonder about the pros and cons of including adolescent voices in their parents' divorce cases, given there cannot be a presumption of neutrality or complete absence of coercion and self-deception. On the other hand, taking into account the voices that matter most ensures best practices.

One of the most unique and compelling aspects of the book review is that the author notices that the book addresses the role that professionals such as counselors play in divorce case proceedings. Because many readers of the book will be professionals, it is important to see where ethical and legal issues become confounded and may not serve the best interests of the children. Adolescents might be harmed more than helped by recent laws including their testimony.

2. Tolmie, J.R., Elizabeth, V.B. & Gavey, N.J. (2010). Is 50:50 Shared Care a Desirable Norm Following Family Separation? Raising Questions about Current Family Law Practices in New Zealand. New Zealand Universities Law Review 24(1):136-166 Jun 2010

This is a case study research design featuring 21 cases of custody disputes. The arrangements of 50:50 shared care, which has become normative in New Zealand family law, are evaluated and critiqued based on the case studies. In New Zealand, family law and public policy seems to be shifting toward a presumably egalitarian custody sharing model. With 50:50 custody becoming normative, many parents' needs are not being served. The authors suggest that best practices need to be based on evidence-based practice and not on an idealistic but false vision of egalitarian child rearing for a post-modern world.

According to the authors, evidence reveals that case-by-case treatment of custody battles is preferable to a blanket solution. This research is highly relevant to the NCFR (2011) Content Area 8. Although the research focuses on populations in New Zealand and to a lesser degree Australia, the principles apply equally as well to populations in the United States. The same basic principles of child welfare and the role of the law in the child's life are at stake.

The authors also point out that situational variables are important for all families but especially those with young children. It is critical for family law practitioners to refrain from universalism in their potentially lazy approach to practice. Family issues must be treated sensitively and in accordance with the latest evidence regarding how to proceed in custody cases.

3. Carlson, L. & Harrison, R. (2010). Family public policy in the United States. Journal of Macromarketing 30(4): 320-330.

The authors frame their discussion of public policy related to family in terms of marketing and communications, which is a unique and powerful approach to the NFCR (2011) content area related to family law and public policy. At first, the connection between macromarketing and family policy seems counterintuitive. The authors soon present their argument in cogent terms, showing how current family values legislation and public policy is indeed related to marketing. The result is a giant feedback loop in which values and worldviews are created, sustained, and nurtured in the United States. Being aware of the process of feedback and family values perspectives development makes all practitioners serve their populations better. This research is remarkably prescient, as it relates family public policy with marketing in ways that are meaningful from a sociological point-of-view.

One of the ways that family public policy and marketing intersect is with the social construction of the term family and the role that family plays in a postmodern society. Gay marriage and other nontraditional family structures are challenging practitioners to engage their clients with healthier attitudes and beliefs. The role of women in society also needs to shift in accordance with postmodern values. Family practitioners stand at the crossroads of social change. Marketing and communications provide the means by which cultural transformations can take place, which is why this article is potentially revolutionary in its approach.