Hi Single Moms and Dads in California,

I am studying to become a family mediator and would like to ask for your help. I would like to know about your experiences and opinions regarding shared custody, if you have been awarded it. It would mean answering a short questionnaire that I would you send by email.

I live in Spain, where shared custody is still very new, and controversial as well. My course requires me to do some investigation and I thought it would be very useful to draw on the experiences of US parents, particularly those of you in California, where shared custody has been widespread for many years. While I know studies of shared custody in the US have already been done, very little of that information is available here - so the research I do, with your help, might serve to fill in the info. gap a (tiny) bit.

If you choose to participate, your answers will be kept confidential of course.

A little more information: I am studying at the Union de Asociaciones Familiares (UNAF) in Madrid. I am also a single parent, with primary physical custody of a little girl. I am from the US but have been living in Spain for a number of years.

Thanks for reading this. If you think you would be willing to answer the questionnaire or have any questions, please reply!

Andrea - Sofia's mom

I'm sorry I can't help, I just decided to reply so you don't think we are ignoring you like somebody else.
I do like to ask you if you know about international custody cases since you are studying the matter. Thanks

Adrian

Hi Adrian,

Thank you for replying! I guess this forum is not going to be the way to get responses to my questionnaire.

Anyway, to answer your question: I do not know much about international cases other than what I read in the news or hear from others. I do know that there is a Spanish woman in jail in the US because she refuses to bring her child, now in Spain, back to the US, where her father lives. I also know of another case involving a Spanish woman, who was married to an Israeli and lived in Israel, where their children were born. When she and her husband separated, she came back to Spain, bringing the children with her. But she was forced to return them to Israel. The Spanish legal system seems to co-operate with international law in these cases and takes the issue very seriously.

That is all I can tell you.

Again, thanks. And if you happen to know anyone in CA with shared custody, please tell them I have a questionnaire I would love them to fill out!

Andrea