Many children still do not see their fathers

About one in 10 children of separated parents never see their fathers more than a year after their parents' relationship has ended, despite changes by the Howard government that emphasised greater shared parental responsibility. And almost a quarter of fathers see their children only during the day, according to a study of 10,000 parents by the Australian Institute of Family Studies. At the time of the interviews, conducted in 2008, parents had been separated on average for 15 months, and for up to 26 months. Of the fathers who never saw their children, only about 30 per cent believed the arrangement had been finalised, suggesting some fathers might have intentions to take some action to have contact with their children.