The Family and Child Psychology Research Centre

The Family and Child Psychology Research Centre was established by Professor Susan Golombok in 1989 to conduct research on parent-child relationships and the psychological development of children raised in non-traditional families.

The work of the Centre includes studies of lesbian mother families, solo mother families and families with children conceived by assisted reproduction procedures such as in-vitro fertilisation, donor insemination, egg donation and surrogacy.

The research increases understanding of the interactions between family structure and processes in these various family types. The studies also have practical implications for social policy making and clinical practice, for example, by addressing issues such as the effects on children of being raised by two parents of the same sex, and the impact on family relationships of secrecy about the child’s genetic origins.