Health Minister Nelson Bascome hopes to meet with overseas expert Erin Pizzey to discuss her suggestions for improving family life on the Island.

British author Erin Pizzey, who opened the world's first refuge for battered women and has written numerous books on child custody and family life, has been on the Island for more than a week as part of the Fathers for Families conference.

She was supposed to leave on Tuesday night but extended her stay after agencies and disgruntled single dads said they still wanted to speak to her.

Family group Child Watch, who helped to bring her to the Island, have foot the additional costs, and now Ms Pizzey is expected to be on the Island until Saturday evening.

But Mr. Bascome said he would like to arrange a one-on-one meeting with Ms Pizzey to discuss her suggestion of introducing a three-strikes rule to child custody.

She suggested to Premier Jennifer Smith that where a mother deliberately prevents a father from seeing his children on three occasions, custody should immediately go to the father.

The expert said it would be better than jailing mothers, but said it would still put a major consequence on the table.

And Ms Pizzey said it would put a stop to the winner takes all syndrome of child custody, and would ensure that court orders on access and maintenance were adhered to.

But Ms Pizzey has also suggested that Family Court ask for documentation, evidence or hospital records where women accuse men of battering.

She said often women falsely accused men of domestic violence in order to get a quick divorce or gain custody of the child, and the courts in Bermuda simply believed them.

Mr. Bascome said: "If Ms Pizzey is still here, I would very much like to talk to her about all of these issues.

"Right now, we are looking and considering anything that could enhance the relationship between parents and their children, and which would benefit the upbringing and personality of children, and Ms Pizzey seems to have experience that we could listen to.

"The three strikes suggestion definitely sounds like something I would want to explore further, and I will discuss the domestic violence issue with her, too, if we manage to meet up."

Last night, Ms Pizzey said she would be delighted and honoured to meet with Mr. Bascome.

"I have heard so many good things said about Minister Bascome during my stay on the Island, so I would very much like to meet and talk with him properly," she said.

"We did meet at the public forum last week, but it would be wonderful to talk with him in greater detail. I will see if we can arrange a meeting."

During the next year, legislation relating to child custody is to be discussed and amended in Parliament and Mr. Bascome is urging agencies and groups to make submissions to him within the next few weeks with recommendations and opinions.