The Parent-Child Relationship when Parents’ Contact with their Children is Supervised

This study focuses on the personal experiences and perceptions of non-custodial
parents’ relationship with their children where the only contact is supervised. It
explores the subjective experience, meanings and processes that non-custodial
parents construct when faced with these circumstances. The data was collected
through semi-structured interviews with nine supervised non-custodial parents in
Malta. Using a methodological approach based on constructivist grounded theory, four
main categories have emerged from these parents’ discourse which capture how and
where perceptions of the non-custodial parent have changed. These relate to external
influences, on being a parent, the parent and child relationship and concerns about
future relating. The key issues that emerge show that supervised parents are very
sensitive to external influences around them. These are often embodied in the
presence of the supervisor who thus becomes part of a triadic relationship, with trust
being a key determinant of how this relationship develops. Indirectly, supervised
parents provide a profound definition of what being a parent is all about for them by
also describing those factors which they consider important for a relationship with
their child to develop. From this explorative study, a number of potential areas for
related research emerge. Finally, and at a practical level, the study also serves to
highlight those areas where improvement in supervision services is recommended for
a better relationship between the parent and the child to be fostered.