Shared care parenting arrangements since the 2006 family law reforms

While rates of shared care of children among parents who do not live together have traditionally been low in Australia, recent evidence suggests that rates of shared care have been rising in recent years. Yet little is known about the factors that help or interfere shared care parenting and how the participants (parents and children) view these factors. 

This study provided a comprehensive assessment of shared care arrangements in Australia since the 2006 family law reforms. It takes the views of children, their parents and experts on the desirability of shared care and circumstances under which it may or may not be practicable. It also developed a socio-economic profile of the population of parents who engage in shared care, the economic costs associated with shared care and the dynamics of shared care. This study contributes to Australia's knowledge on initiation, continuation and abandonment of shared care arrangements.