Bibliography p. 96-102. April 2006. Also available on the World Wide Web.

This report discusses a review of empirical research from both New Zealand and international literature. It examines the impacts of government policy and services on family formation, including partnership formation, dissolution and reconstitution, fertility decision-making and family size, and family living arrangements. The chapter, "Dissolution", which reviews the impact of government policies and services on partnership breakdown, notes that mediation services may not be appropriate where domestic violence is apparent. The chapter, "Living Arrangements", examines policies and services specific to living arrangements of children, and the likelihood of extended family members living together in the same household. There was little research on the impacts of various forms of child custody legislation on children's post-separation living arrangements. There was also minimal empirical research evidence looking at the effects of public policies on grandparents' living arrangements. However, research that considers the situation of the grandparent as the primary caregiver, or living as an extended family member, provides some statistics on living situations. The New Zealand Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust (2005) reported on a study of 323 families involved in kinship care. They found that a number of issues resulted in the need for grandparent care, including child neglect (46% of cases), child abuse (27% of cases), and domestic violence (26% of cases). It was concluded that the research has tended to focus more on the direct impacts of policies. Those that consider the impact on family formation were found to be of limited quality. The authors discuss some difficulties that limit the nature of the research. They also point out the usefulness of assessing the impact of government policy and services on family formation. This includes aspects such as children's living arrangements, family wellbeing, and the potential to inadvertently discourage stable relationships.

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