Child Abuse and Family Law: Understanding the Issues facing human service and legal professionals

Part Title......Page 1
Title Page......Page 3
Dedication......Page 4
Contents......Page 5
Foreword......Page 9
Acknowledgments......Page 14
Introduction: A New problem......Page 17
Current knowledge......Page 18
The family law socio-legal service system......Page 19
Navigating the book......Page 22
Future directions......Page 23
1. A new understanding of child abuse in the context of parental separation......Page 24
The relationship between child abuse, parental separation and divorce......Page 25
The history of understanding of child abuse in the context of parental separation and divorce......Page 26
The distinctive nature of child abuse in this context......Page 33
The families......Page 35
Alleged and actual perpetrators......Page 36
Conclusion......Page 39
2. Child abuse, family violence and family law legislation......Page 40
Background to the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth)......Page 41
The Family Law Reform Act 1995......Page 42
Changes in 2006 to the Family Law Act 1975......Page 45
Case law under the Family Law Act 1975......Page 48
Family violence between parents......Page 49
Child abuse where children are direct or primary victims......Page 56
Child sexual abuse......Page 58
Australian research......Page 62
Conclusion......Page 64
3. Family law legislation and protection of children......Page 66
Best interests of the child......Page 67
Myths......Page 68
Let's blame Freud......Page 69
Wishes of the child and separate representation of children......Page 71
Protocols and legislation affecting state and territory agencies......Page 75
The Magellan list......Page 77
Children's Cases program......Page 78
Conclusion......Page 79
4. Child sexual abuse......Page 81
Community attitudes to child sexual abuse......Page 82
The discovery/rediscovery cycle in child sexual abuse......Page 83
Reported incidence of child sexual abuse......Page 84
Actual prevalence of child sexual abuse......Page 86
Children's reporting of sexual abuse......Page 87
Definition of sexual abuse......Page 88
Evidence of abuse......Page 89
Interviewing strategies......Page 91
Delays and changes in telling of the abuse......Page 92
Causes of child abuse......Page 93
Marital partnerships and partnership breakdown and divorce as risk factors......Page 95
Perpetrators......Page 96
Victims......Page 97
Residence and contact arrangements for victims of child sexual abuse......Page 98
The attitudes of socio-legal professionals to child sexual abuse......Page 99
Conclusion......Page 100
5. Other forms of child abuse......Page 102
Community attitudes to other forms of child abuse......Page 103
The puzzle of reported incidence......Page 105
Patterns in reported incidence of other forms of child abuse......Page 106
Patterns of abuse in the context of parental separation and divorce......Page 107
Reported attempted and actual homicide......Page 109
Definition of physical abuse......Page 110
Definition of neglect......Page 112
Definition of emotional abuse......Page 113
Forms of child abuse specific to parental separation and divorce......Page 114
Causes of the other forms of child abuse......Page 115
Parental separation and divorce as a cause......Page 118
Effects of abuse......Page 119
Arrangements for residence and contact......Page 120
Attitudes of socio-legal professionals to the other forms of child abuse......Page 121
Conclusion......Page 122
6. Managing families and their problems......Page 124
Immediate impact on family members......Page 125
The impact of the child abuse allegations......Page 127
Impact of the allegations on the substantiated perpetrator of the child abuse......Page 128
Working with substantiated perpetrators......Page 129
Impact of the client and their violence on the professional......Page 131
Impact of unsubstantiated allegations on the alleged perpetrators......Page 132
Working with alleged perpetrators where the allegations are not substantiated......Page 133
Impact on the partner making the allegations......Page 134
Working with the parent making the allegations......Page 135
Impact of the allegations and the process of investigation on the children......Page 136
Other factors......Page 137
Conclusion......Page 143
The family law socio-legal service system as a maze......Page 144
The core of the system......Page 145
The Commonwealth financial benefits agencies......Page 147
Counselling agencies......Page 148
Services for children......Page 149
State child protection services......Page 150
Lobby groups......Page 151
Funding......Page 153
Problems of a service system that has become a maze......Page 154
No specialised services for child abuse allegations......Page 155
The Magellan program......Page 157
The Columbus program......Page 159
Other programs......Page 160
Strategies for managing the maze......Page 161
Conclusion......Page 163
The use of a common framework......Page 164
The first family......Page 166
The second family......Page 178
Conclusion......Page 191
Notes......Page 193
References......Page 196
Index......Page 210