Evaluation of a pilot of legally assisted and supported family dispute resolution in family violence cases

Evidence of the prevalence of a history of past and/or current family violence among separated parents, and the presence of ongoing safety concerns for themselves and their children as a result of ongoing contact with the other parent, has created an impetus for the family law system to find more effective ways of dealing with families affected by family violence. In July 2009, the Federal Government announced funding for a pilot program to provide assistance, including family dispute resolution (FDR), to such families. Subsequently, Women’s Legal Service Brisbane (and other consultants) were funded by the Attorney- General’s Department (AGD) to develop a model for coordinated family dispute resolution (CFDR). CFDR is a service for separated families who need assistance to resolve parenting disputes where there has been a history of past and/or current family violence. It is being implemented in five sites/lead agencies across Australia: Perth (Legal Aid Western Australia), Brisbane (Telephone Dispute Resolution Service [TDRS], run by Relationships Australia Queensland), Newcastle (Interrelate), Western Sydney (Unifam) and Hobart (Relationships Australia Tasmania). TDRS made adaptions to the model to accommodate its telephone-based service. The pilot commenced operation at most sites in the final quarter of 2010. Implementation in one location (Brisbane) was delayed until mid-2011 to allow time to finalise the composition of the partnership. This report presents the findings of an evaluation of this process

Evaluation of the 2012 family violence amendments: synthesis report

This report sets out the overall findings of the evaluation of the 2012 family violence amendments. The evaluation examined the effects of amendments to the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth)  that were intended to improve the family law system’s responses to matters involving family violence and safety concerns. Key messages Most separated parents don’t use family dispute resolution, lawyers or courts to resolve parenting matters after they separate Those parents who do use family law systems tend to be those affected by complex issues including family violence, mental ill-health, substance abuse and safety concerns for themselves and/or their children There has been an increased emphasis on identifying families with concerns about family violence and child abuse, however 29% of parents using family law system services reported never being asked about family violence or safety concerns Family law professionals indicated that better screening tools and approaches are required The reforms have supported sorting out parenting arrangements by agreement. This is likely to be due to a change in 2012 that means advisors tell parents that parenting arrangements should be in a child’s best interests Subtle changes in parenting arrangements are evident such as more parents with safety concerns reporting a shift away from overnight stays with fathers The proportion of children with court orders for shared care, where allegations of both family violence or child safety had been raised, fell after the reforms (from 19% to 11%) The proportion of court orders for shared care where neither family violence nor child safety was raised remained stable (22%): no significant change showed where only one issue was raised (17% pre-reform, 15% post-reform). Overall the main findings of the evaluation indicate that the 2012 family violence amendments are a step in the right direction in a reform agenda intended to improve the system’s response to family violence and child abuse concerns in post-separation parenting arrangements. See related content for seperate reports.   &nbsp

Images of children and young people online

The Internet has become a popular communication tool for, and about, children and young people. Many children and young people participate in social networking websites and blogs, and develop their own web pages. Community organisations and businesses, such as sporting groups, involved with children and young people also use the Internet to promote activities and services. These Internet communication activities can include photos or visual recordings of children and young people. This Resource Sheet provides information about safety and good practice when images of children and young people are displayed online. The display of images of children and young people on the Internet requires careful considerations. Firstly, there are legal obligations for Internet users who post images of children and young people on the Internet. Secondly, good Internet practices aim to enhance the safety of children and young people, irrespective of legal responsibilities

Breathing life into children's participation: Empirical observations of lawyer-child relations in child protection proceedings

This article uses data from ethnographic research conducted with lawyers and children to describe how power relations can be utilised by lawyers to scaffold children's participation in meaningful and positive ways. The research identified that lawyers' practices included engaging in democratic communication with children, supporting their legal education, building a shared understanding about child protection involvement and ensuring flexible opportunities for participation were available. Constraints identified as interfering with lawyer-child relations included discontinuity of legal representation, the court environment and resources, and fragmentation of the child protection legal system. In light of this research the author argues that recent legislative changes in Victoria, Australia, affecting legal representation are regressive

Accelerated learning: a study of faculty and student experiences

In this study we explored faculty and student experiences of accelerated learning. We conducted interviews with faculty members who had delivered the same course in 12 and 6-week timeframes, and we analysed a student survey. Students reported overall positive experiences in the accelerated courses, particularly in the social aspects of learning, higher than usual motivation, and confidence in their learning. However, both faculty and students raised concerns about the scope and timing of assessment tasks, student workload expectations, faculty workload, and administration of courses. We offer recommendations regarding implementation, assessment practices, and management of learning in an accelerated timeframe

Grandparents doing gender: Experiences of grandmothers and grandfathers caring for grandchildren in Australia

Reliance on grandparents for children’s informal care is very popular in Australia. Yet little is known about the gendered dynamics of grandparental care. This study, based on 3000 grandparents taking part in Wave 7 of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Survey (HILDA) and 14 in-depth interviews with grandparents, reveals that gendered inequalities associated with providing childcare significantly influence the lives of older Australians, particularly grandmothers. Grandmothers doing grandchildcare experience greater dissatisfaction with free time and more than their fair share of domestic labour compared to grandfathers. Gendered meanings and practices of grandchildcare evident in interviews position grandmothers as nurturing, coordinators of care. Grandfathers are somewhat influenced by notions of ‘involved fathering’ as they are emotionally engaged in children’s recreational activities, yet are relatively free to opt in and out of caring labour. We conclude that the gendered organisation of grandchildcare is consistent with a dominant maternalist culture in Australia

Grandmothers and grandfathers looking after grandchildren

This article presents a snapshot of findings from a research project about the experiences of Australian grandparents who regularly care for grandchildren. The authors wish to thank the grandparents who generously shared their stories for this research. The time grandparents share with grandchildren takes many forms. Grandchildcare is defined as time when grandparents are responsible for the care and wellbeing of grandchildren, usually in the absence of a parent. In some cases, a grandparent may be undertaking the tasks of grandchildcare alongside a parent. This is different to "seeing" grandchildren, which is characterised by social time without caregiving responsibilities, often in the company of parents. This mixed-methodology research had two components. The first component involved a secondary analysis of data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey (HILDA) Release 7.  A total of 3,277 grandparents were identified in the HILDA data set (1,343 grandfathers, 1,934 grandmothers). Part two of the research involved qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews (n = 14) with six grandfathers and eight grandmothers who cared, to varying degrees, for at least one grandchild

Grandparents doing gender: experiences of grandmothers and grandfathers caring for grandchildren in Australia

Abstract not available

Images of children and young people online

The Internet has become a popular communication tool for children and young people, as well as adults, businesses and organisations. There are a range of reasons why people or organisations might wish to publish images of people online, including for recording, documenting and advertising or for promoting an organisation\u27s activities and experiences. Organisations involved with children and young people, such as sporting and performing arts groups, often include photos or visual recordings of children and young people on their websites to promote their activities or services. Many children and young people also share images of themselves and their friends on social networking websites such as Facebook, and on their own blogs and web pages. The accessibility of the Internet and the increasing popularity of social networking sites for both young people and adults has made the sharing and disseminating of images very easy. This has resulted in concerns about the safety and welfare of children and young people online, and protection of their privacy. This Resource Sheet provides information about safety and good practice when images of children and young people are displayed online. It outlines the legal obligations for Internet users who post images of children and young people on the Internet, and some of the emerging issues associated with the displaying of online images by children and young people. Guidance is also provided for supporting children and young people to be safe online. Throughout this paper, a child or young person refers to a person under the age of 18 years

Are social marketing campaigns effective in preventing child abuse and neglect?

Evidence for the impact of media-based social marketing campaigns related to child protection, parenting and child abuse prevention is examined in this paper. Social marketing campaigns are a common strategy for raising awareness about social problems such as child abuse and neglect. However, questions have been raised about the role social marketing campaigns could play, and their potential efficacy in the prevention of child abuse and neglect and in supporting vulnerable children and families