AN EVALUATION OF THE LONG‐TERM EFFECTIVENESS OF MEDIATION IN CASES OF INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTION Trevor Buck June 2012 P.O. Box 7124, Leicester LE1 7XX Advice Line: +44 (0) 116 2556 234 Tel: +44 (0) 116 2556 345 Fax: +44 (0) 116 2556 370 E‐mail: [email protected] International Child Abduction Centre Patrons: Lord Ashbourne, The Rt. Hon. Sir Stephen Brown G.B.E., Sir Terence English K.B.E., F.R.C.S., Madame Valery Giscard d’Estaing, Mr Bill Olner, The Hon. Clare Renton, Sir Henry Rumbold Bt, Mr Timothy Scott QC Registered Charity No: 1075729 Copyright ©reunite International Child Abduction Centre CONTENTS THE RESEARCH TEAM ................................................................................................................................... 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................. 4 TABLES AND FIGURES ................................................................................................................................... 5 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................. 6 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 13 2. INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTION: HAGUE PROCEEDINGS AND THE LEGAL PROCESS ................ 14 3. THE MEDIATION PILOT SCHEME 2006 ............................................................................................. 17 4. REUNITE’S MEDIATION MODEL ....................................................................................................... 19 4.1. Screening interview .............................................................................................................. 19 4.2. Mediation sessions ............................................................................................................... 19 5. RATIONALE FOR RESEARCH ............................................................................................................. 20 6. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................ 20 6.1. Interviews .............................................................................................................................. 21 6.2. Case reading .......................................................................................................................... 23 6.3. Analysis ................................................................................................................................. 23 6.4. Writing up ............................................................................................................................. 23 6.5. Research strengths & limitations: accounting for non‐responses ........................................ 23 7. THE PROFILES OF THE INTERVIEWEES ................................................................................................ 26 7.1 The interview dataset ........................................................................................................... 26 7.2 Resolved Cases ...................................................................................................................... 31 7.3. Unresolved Cases .................................................................................................................. 34 7.4. Residence and Contact Outcomes ........................................................................................ 36 8. LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF MEDIATION .............................................................. 39 8.1. Resolved Cases ...................................................................................................................... 39 8.1.1. Compliance with provisions of, and difficulties arising from, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) ................................................................................................... 39 8.1.2. Whether or not the MOU was made into a consent order in the UK and subsequently registered in the overseas jurisdiction. ......................................................................... 46 8.1.3. The occurrence of further litigation, and the extent, outcome and impact of the litigation ........................................................................................................................ 47 8.2. Unresolved Cases .................................................................................................................. 48 8.2.1. Attempted mediation and failure to resolve matters................................................... 48 2 8.2.2. Outcomes relating to residence, contact and other arrangements ............................. 51 8.2.3. The occurrence of further litigation, and the extent, outcome and impact of the litigation ........................................................................................................................ 53 9. FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS: POST MEDIATION ...................................................................................... 55 9.1. Resolved cases ...................................................................................................................... 55 9.1.1. Children’s relationship with parents ............................................................................. 55 9.1.2. Relationships between parents .................................................................................... 56 9.1.3. Settlement of the family ............................................................................................... 58 9.2. Unresolved cases .................................................................................................................. 58 9.2.1. Children’s relationship with parents ............................................................................. 59 9.2.2. Relationships between parents .................................................................................... 60 9.2.3. Settlement of the family ............................................................................................... 61 10. PARENTAL PERCEPTION OF OVERALL ABDUCTION EXPERIENCE AND SUBSEQUENT OUTCOMES ................... 63 10.1. Resolved cases .................................................................................................................. 63 10.1.1. The Taking Parents’ Perspective ................................................................................... 63 10.1.2. The Left‐Behind Parents’ Perspective ........................................................................... 68 10.1.3. The Parents’ Perception of Effects on the Child ........................................................... 72 10.2. Unresolved cases .............................................................................................................. 74 10.2.1. The Taking Parents’ Perspective ................................................................................... 74 10.2.2. The Left‐Behind Parents’ Perspective ........................................................................... 77 10.2.3. The Parents’ Perception of Effects on the Child ........................................................... 81 11. THE FINDINGS ............................................................................................................................... 84 11.1. The impact of mediation agreements and further litigation ............................................ 84 11.1.1. Resolved cases (paras 8.1.1 to 8.1.3) ............................................................................ 84 11.1.2. Unresolved cases (paras 8.2.1 to 8.2.3) ........................................................................ 85 11.2. The impact of mediation on family relationships ............................................................. 86 11.2.1. Resolved cases (paras 9.1.1 to 9.1.3) ............................................................................ 86 11.2.2. Unresolved cases (paras 9.2.1 to 9.2.3) ........................................................................ 87 11.3. Parental perceptions of overall abduction experience and subsequent outcomes ......... 88 11.3.1. Resolved cases (paras 10.1.1 to 10.1.3) ........................................................................ 88 11.3.2. Unresolved cases (paras 10.2.1 to 10.2.3) .................................................................... 91 11.4. Voice of the Child: child participation and future research ............................................. 93 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................. 95 APPENDIX 1: TEXT OF QUESTIONNAIRE ........................................................................................................ 96 APPENDIX 2: DRAFT OF A TYPICAL MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) ............................................ 101 END ................................................................................................................................................ 104 3 This research project has been progressed as a collaboration between reunite International Child Abduction Centre and De Montfort University in Leicester, United Kingdom. It has been funded by the Nuffield Foundation. THE RESEARCH TEAM Trevor