Belonging and Belongings: Children’s Sense of Home in Shared Custody Arrangements

Available open access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.

Based on in-depth fieldwork with Belgian children aged 10 to 16, this book examines how children in shared physical custody define and negotiate their place within the household of each parent.

The authors analyse how family practices within and between each dwelling shape children’s sense home, and the strategies and skills children develop to manage and position themselves in these different environments.

Challenging common stereotypes and giving voice to children in shared custody, the book provides valuable insights for practitioners and scholars to better understand and support children and their parents.

Laura Merla is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Families and Sexualities (CIRFASE) at the University of Louvain.

Bérengère Nobels is Scientific Collaborator at the University of Louvain.