Child court hearings in family cases: Assessment questionnaire of child needs during pre-trial proceedings

Joan Guàrdia

Description

Abstract
The basis of family law is the child’s interest. This is related to the right to be listened to, but not as an obligation. As a consequence, there is a necessity for the judge to conduct a judicial exploration of the child. But, in general, the judges are not trained in this type of explorations, and they may consequently obtain erroneous information in their exploration. Therefore, in this work, we present the generation of a questionnaire that explores the judicial agents’ necessities during judicial exploration of children. Five expert researchers in the subject participated in creating the questionnaire
five family judges participated in the pilot test
2/df = 1.35
BBNNFI = .873
CFI = .879
IFI = .881
RMR = .139
SRMR = .153
RMSEA = .075). To sum up, we can say that the questionnaire could be improved, but the best areas are the stages of the interview and the interviewer’s skills.
Resumen
El interés del menor se constituye en el eje principal en el derecho de familia. Uno de los aspectos en los que se traduce es en el derecho a ser escuchado, actividad judicial llevada a cabo por jueces o magistrados por medio de la exploración judicial. Ahora bien, los jueces no han recibido suficiente formación para la realización de este tipo de exploraciones, lo que puede llevar a la obtención de información errónea. Como consecuencia, nos planteamos un estudio con el objetivo de crear un cuestionario que permita a jueces y magistrados llevar a cabo una exploración adecuada de los menores. En la elaboración del cuestionario han participado 5 investigadores expertos en la materia
5 jueces de familia en una prueba piloto
2/gl = 1.35
BBNNFI = ,873
CFI = ,879
IFI = ,881
RMR = ,139
SRMR = ,153
RMSEA = ,075). En conclusión, el cuestionario es un buen instrumento para la exploración, por parte de jueces y magistrados, pero puede ser mejorado.

Sujets

• Questionnaire
• Forensic psychology
• Cuestionario
• Psicología forense

Informations

• Publié par: erevistas
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 14
• Langue: English

Extrait

ISSN: 1889-1861 The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2010, 2(1)
www.usc.es/sepjf


THE EUROPEAN JOURNAL
OF
PSYCHOLOGY APPLIED
TO
LEGAL CONTEXT








Volume 3, Number 1, January 2011










The official Journal of the
SOCIEDAD ESPAÑOLA DE PSICOLOGÍA JURÍDICA Y FORENSE
Website: http://www.usc.es/sepjf Editor

Ramón Arce, University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain).

Associate Editors

Gualberto Buela-Casal, University of Granada (Spain).
Francisca Fariña, University of Vigo (Spain).

Editorial Board

Rui Abrunhosa, University of O Miño (Portugal).
Ray Bull, University of Leicester (UK).
Thomas Bliesener, University of Kiel (Germany).
Fernando Chacón, Complutense University of Madrid (Spain).
Ángel Egido, University of Angers (France).
Antonio Godino, University of Lecce (Italy).
Günter Köhnken, University of Kiel (Germany).
Friedrich Lösel, University of Cambridge (UK).
María Ángeles Luengo, University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain).
Eduardo Osuna, University of Murcia (Spain).
Ronald Roesch, Simon Fraser University (Canada).
Francisco Santolaya, President of the Spanish Psychological Association (Spain).
Juan Carlos Sierra, University of Granada (Spain).
Jorge Sobral, University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain).
Max Steller, Free University of Berlin, (Germany).
Francisco Tortosa, University of Valencia (Spain).
Peter J. Van Koppen, Maastricht University (The Netherlands).




Official Journal of the Sociedad Española de Psicología Jurídica y Forense
(www.usc.es/sepjf)
Published By: SEPJF.
Volume 3, Number, 1.
Order Form: see www.usc.es/sepjf
Frequency: 2 issues per year.
ISSN: 1889-1861.

The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2011, 3(1): 47-76
www.usc.es/sepjf


CHILD COURT HEARINGS IN FAMILY CASES:
ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE OF CHILD NEEDS DURING
PRE-TRIAL PROCEEDINGS

Joan Guàrdia*, Maribel Peró*, Sònia Benítez*, Adolfo Jarne*, Mercedes Caso**,
Mila Arch*, Asunción Molina*, and Álvaro Aliaga***

* Universitat de Barcelona (Spain).
** Escuela Judicial del Consejo General del Poder Judicial (Spain).
*** Servicio Médico Legal (Chile).

(Received 3 March 2010; revised: 21 September 2010; accepted 24 September 2010)

Abstract Resumen
The basis of family law is the child’s interest. El interés del menor se constituye en el eje
This is related to the right to be listened to, but not as principal en el derecho de familia. Uno de los aspectos
an obligation. As a consequence, there is a necessity en los que se traduce es en el derecho a ser escuchado,
for the judge to conduct a judicial exploration of the actividad judicial llevada a cabo por jueces o
child. But, in general, the judges are not trained in this magistrados por medio de la exploración judicial.
type of explorations, and they may consequently Ahora bien, los jueces no han recibido suficiente
obtain erroneous information in their exploration. formación para la realización de este tipo de
Therefore, in this work, we present the generation of a exploraciones, lo que puede llevar a la obtención de
questionnaire that explores the judicial agents’ información errónea. Como consecuencia, nos
necessities during judicial exploration of children. Five planteamos un estudio con el objetivo de crear un
expert researchers in the subject participated in cuestionario que permita a jueces y magistrados llevar
creating the questionnaire; five family judges a cabo una exploración adecuada de los menores. En la
participated in the pilot test; and in the final study, 63 elaboración del cuestionario han participado 5
family judges answered the final questionnaire. Global investigadores expertos en la materia; 5 jueces de
reliability was adequate (.858), as was the reliability familia en una prueba piloto; y en el estudio de
for interviewer’s skills, but it was not for the other validación 63 jueces de familia, el 68,48% del total. La
areas of the questionnaire. An exploratory factor fiabilidad del cuestionario a nivel global resultó
analysis showed a factor structure consisting of 5 adecuada (,858), pero no así en todas las áreas de
factors that accounted for 46.12% of the total variance, medida hipotetizadas por los expertos. Así, ejecutamos
but these five factors don’t correspond to the factors un análisis factorial exploratorio que mostró una
provided by experts. But construct validity validated estructura factorial compuesta por 5 factores que
2 explicaban el 46,12% de la varianza total, que tampoco the structure provided by the experts (  /df = 1.35;
se correspondían con los factores previstos por los BBNNFI = .873; CFI = .879; IFI = .881; RMR = .139;
expertos. No obstante, un análisis factorial SRMR = .153; RMSEA = .075). To sum up, we can
confirmatorio validó la estructura factorial formulada say that the questionnaire could be improved, but the
2
best areas are the stages of the interview and the por los expertos (  /gl = 1.35; BBNNFI = ,873; CFI =
interviewer’s skills. ,879; IFI = ,881; RMR = ,139; SRMR = ,153; RMSEA
= ,075). En conclusión, el cuestionario es un buen
Keywords: Judicial exploration of the child; Family
instrumento para la exploración, por parte de jueces y proceedings; Questionnaire; Forensic psychology;
magistrados, pero puede ser mejorado.
Psychometric study; Best interest of the child.
Palabras clave: Exploraciones judiciales de
menores; Procedimientos de familia; Cuestionario;
Psicología forense; Estudio psicométrico; El mejor
interés del menor.



Correspondence: Dr. Joan Guàrdia Olmos. Dept. de Metodologia de les Ciències del Comportament.
Facultat de Psicologia. Universitat de Barcelona. Passeig de la Vall d’Hebron, 171, 08035 Barcelona,
Spain.e-mail: [e-mail]

ISSN 1889-1861 © The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context
J. Guàrdia et al. 48


Introduction

The combined effort of different types of professionals—namely judges, tutors,
psychologists, psychiatrists, researchers—is of great help in divorce proceedings (Hita,
Braver, Sandler, Knox, & Strehle, 2009). In this situation, in family law, all court
actions revolve around the child’s interest. Closely related to this interest and to all the
proceedings that involve the child is the right to be listened to, which is materialized in
judicial explorations of children, an action carried out by judges. Through this channel,
the national and international legal systems grant children the chance to be the
interpreters of their own interest.
There is a general opinion that judicial exploration is not a proof through which
judges obtain a series of facts on which to base their ruling, but it is a judicial diligence
through which judges allow children to exercise a right. However, there is much
controversy around this idea. There is no uniformity as to the form in which the
different legal systems around us take this right into account, both as regards the
obligation to apply it and the specific way to collect information, which involves a wide
array of methods (the judge him/herself interviews the child, the judge collects the
child’s opinion through an amicus curie, through lawyers who represent the child,
through specialized services, etc.). Neither is there an automatic link between the
concept of the child’s benefit and exercising their right to be listened to. Expert Paul
Lagarde (1998) claimed in his explicative report of the 1996 Agreement that
considering the child’s opinion is not always in their interest. This is particularly so
when their parents agree as to the action to take and this action is not detrimental for the
child. In each case, the child’s psychic condition must be analyzed, as well as their age
and the circumstances around them in order to prevent the hearing from provoking
greater damage than the one intended to prevent. Despite many authors advocating the
need for judges to listen to children (McIntosh, Bryant, & Murray, 2008), some
researchers highlight the fact that judicial exploration may be traumatic for children and
defend that it be carried out by experts, such as psychologists (e.g., Budd, Felix, Sweet,
Saul, & Carleton, 2006; Fitzgerald & Moltzen, 2004). Even in some works, strategies
are presented to prepare the child when they must testify in court or before a judge
(YaHua, Chia-Lin, & Tsung-Chieh, 2009).

The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2011, 3(1): 47-76
Child court hearings in family cases 49

Spanish law also considers the child’s right to be listened to in any judicial or
administrative proceeding in which their interest is involved. Thus,