Like gold dust these days’: domestic violence fact-finding hearings in child contact cases

Fact-finding hearings may be held to determine disputed allegations of domestic violence in child contact cases in England and Wales, and can play a vital role for mothers seeking protection and autonomy from violent fathers. Drawing on the author’s empirical study, this article examines the implications for the holding of fact-finding hearings of judges’ and professionals’ understandings of domestic violence and the extent to which they perceive it to be relevant to contact. While more judges and professionals are developing their understanding of domestic violence, the ambit of when and how it is considered relevant to contact has grown increasingly narrow, which suggests that many disputed allegations of domestic violence are disregarded and women and children continue to be put at risk from violent fathers. This bifurcated approach is likely to have significant implications for recent developments in this area of family law which are considered in this article

Substance abuse, mental vulnerability and the criminal justice system A briefing

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:q96/03167 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Promotion and the woman probation officer

Available from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:93/15898 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

Creating for change The role of the arts in a criminal justice setting

A report of the 1993 Otterburn ConferenceAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:q94/01713 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

Car crime An accelerating problem; the search for a realistic response to auto-related offending

A report of the 1992 NAPO Northumbria Branch ConferenceAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:q94/01703 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

Violence against social workers

Full text of this article is not available in the UHRAThis article examines issues of violence against social work staff in England and Wales. Although there is a good representation of work addressing how individuals can best try to cope for themselves when confronted with violence, there is little published material that refers specifically to agency strategies that can best support workers in the front line of service provision. The underreporting of violence is considered, and the implications of this are discussed in relation to planning procedures that can help prevent violence. Particular attention is paid to issues of gender and ethnicity.Peer reviewe