Research has shown that the ongoing
conflicts between parents, after divorce, can significantly
affect a child’s emotional adjustment and health
in the future.
Parental conflict can change
the nature of the parent/child relationship, create
anxieties and distress, frighten and depress children,
and compromise identity formation. As a way of reducing
parental conflict, litigation and cost, the Special
Master can be used to assist a conflicted family.
Special Masters are court appointed
experts who assist the judge in a quasi judicial
role to avoid frequent and continuing custody litigation.
The Special Master’s role is to help the parents
mediate decisions.
If the parents are incapable
of reaching a solution, the Special Master has a
right to make decisions about the issues and to
make recommendations to the court regarding custody
and visitation issues.
The appointment of a Special
Master can help minimize trauma to the children
of divorced families, by resolving custody related
disputes and reducing the court’s involvement with
the family.
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