“It’s Like Standing on a Beach, Holding Your Children’s Hands, and Having a Tsunami Just Coming Towards You”: Intimate Partner Violence and “Expert” Assessments in Australian Family Law

Title
“It’s Like Standing on a Beach, Holding Your Children’s Hands, and Having a Tsunami Just Coming Towards You”: Intimate Partner Violence and “Expert” Assessments in Australian Family Law
Publication Date
2019
Author(s)
Rathus, Zoe
Jeffries, Samantha
Menih, Helena
Field, Rachael
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Inc
Place of publication
United States of America
DOI
10.1080/15564886.2019.1580646
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/27022
Abstract
The ways in which postseparation parenting disputes are managed has undergone significant change in Australia since the Family Law Act (Cth) was first enacted in 1975. The best interests of children have always been paramount in children’s cases and over the last 20 years, this concept has been legislatively shaped to include ongoing beneficial post separation parental relationships and protection from harm. A critical piece of evidence to inform a Family Court’s decision making in such matters is a family report, which is an expert assessment compiled by a social science professional. The authors report findings from an Australian based qualitative study exploring the experiences of family report assessment practice from the perspective of victim mothers who have separated from men who perpetrate intimate partner violence. The authors conclude that reforms are necessary to improve the practice and procedure of family report writing in Australia. Such reforms should ensure that the lived experience of victims of intimate partner violence is validated, assessment processes have victim efficacy, and the outcomes of such reports do not put women and their children at ongoing risk of harm.
Link
Citation
Victims & Offenders, 14(4), p. 408-440
ISSN
1556-4991
1556-4886
Start page
408
End page
440

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