Children of parents involved in protracted conflicts of custody and access are at increased risk of suffering abuse and neglect, with greater potential for demonstrating dangerous or anti-social behaviors. Under the present services delivery system, parent education programming (co-parenting) is usually accomplished as a single episodic occurrence to satisfy requirements of the county circuit (family) court before a petition for divorce will be scheduled on the docket or a decree issued. Additionally, access services referred by court-order may be issued in such a manner as to be considered “indefinite” and “free-of-charge” to parents, providing little incentive to modify obstructive behaviors outside of the court. Coupled with inadequate wraparound services to facilitate continuation of education, monitoring, and applied parental cooperation; enthusiasm initiated by early divorce intervention techniques is unable to capitalize on parental motivations to better respond individually or legally “in the best interest” of children.
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