§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on what research his decision that it is in the best interests of children to be brought up by both parents was based. [152999]
§ Margaret HodgeThere is a considerable amount of research over a number of years from the UK and overseas that indicates that contact with both parents is in the best interests of the child. This finding has been 1349W endorsed by a number of leading family court judgments. Studies have also indicated that it is the quality of the contact the child maintains with both parents rather than merely its quantity that has the most beneficial effect.
A thorough literature review of research available in this area can be found in the publication 'Researching Contact' by Joan Hunt, a Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Social Policy and Social Work, Oxford University. This work, by a well-known academic in the field of child and family law, provides a comprehensive summary of the research evidence that supports the view that contact with both parents is in the best interests of the child.