Family Facts & Figures - Parent Child Contact after Separation
Face-to-face contact between children and their non-resident parents is an important part of parenting after separation. Research suggests that there is a discrepancy in reporting between resident parents and non-resident parents in terms of the level of parent-child contact. In order to present a picture as complete as possible, this series uses two data sources: the Family Characteristics Survey which was conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 2003, and the Caring for Children After Parental Separation Survey by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) in 2003. The ABS survey collected information about parent-child contact from resident parents only, while the Institute survey asked parent-child contact questions to independent groups of resident parents and nonresident parents. Information from ABS Family Characteristics Survey 2003 was derived from unpublished customised tables.
Face-to-face contact between children and their nonresident parents
- Frequency of face-to-face parent-child contact: ABS 2009-10
- Frequency of face-to-face parent-child contact by children's age: ABS 2009-10
Overnight stays
Occurrence of overnight stays with nonresident parent living elsewhere
It is important to distinguish between day-time only contact and overnight stays because the latter provides greater opportunities for family activities to occur, which encourages emotional bonds to develop between children and their nonresident parents. (See paper by Patrick Parkinson and Bruce Smyth presented at the AIFS 2003 conference (PDF 696 KB)).
Of all children aged under 18 who had a parent living elsewhere, 50 per cent not only had face-to-face contact but also stayed overnight with their nonresident parent according to the Family Characteristics Survey (ABS 2003), while the remaining 50 per cent either had face-to-face contact only or rarely saw their nonresident parent. The percentage of overnight stays was higher (68%) based on reporting by parents participating in Caring For Children After Separation Project (AIFS 2003).
Of those who had face-to-face contact with their non-resident parent, most stayed some nights (68% based on ABS Family Characteristics Survey and 79% based on AIFS Caring For Children After Parental Separation).