The International and Ibero-American Association of Parenting Coordination Specialists (AIIECP) will collaborate in the “Conference on the Rights of Children and Adolescents in Contentious Separations: Understanding Challenges and Implementing Solutions – The Voice vs. the Choice of Childhood and Adolescence.”
This event is organized by the Col·legi Oficial de Psicologia de Catalunya (COPC) and will take place on July 24. It is aimed at professionals whose work involves making decisions that affect children and adolescents (C&A), including mental health, social work, law, mediation, policy, police, schools, child and adolescent care teams, primary care centers, legal operators, and social services.
The rights of children and adolescents in separations and divorces are of particular relevance to AIIECP. The participation of C&A in decision-making within family law contexts is relatively recent. Historically, C&A were seen merely as objects to be protected from interparental conflict. Increasingly, they are recognized as individuals with their own rights. Social Science research shows that failing to listen to them can do more harm than good.
Going through a divorce can be challenging for children and adolescents. It is one of the most stressful situations for parents, who may overlook the rights of the youngest, which often conflict with their own needs.