Type:	Non-Fiction
Title:	Making children count : children, violence, homelessness and the law
Authors:	Foster, Pamela Oberin, Julie Kirkwood, Cara
Keywords:	Family law;Child protection;Impact on children and young people;Housing;Statistics
Year:	2005
Publisher:	Wesnet
Notes:	This WESNET book aims to provide information on research, practices and policies important to the welfare of children affected by family violence and homelessness. It provides a snapshot of current practices and resources available to children in Australia. It highlights the facts and key statistics about children and homelessness; the impacts of homelessness on children; and the effects of family violence on children. It also gives an overview of whether the legal system is working in the best interests of children and refers to implications of changes to family law. Snapshots of features of services, programmes and resources across Australia provided by SAAP (Supported Accommodation Assistance Program), domestic and family violence services and other family services for children who have experienced homelessness and/or violence are provided. Some of the recommendations include: for governments to consult with WESNET and improve physical resources for children in existing refuges, shelters and homelessness services as well as develop a range of models (clusters or dispersed housing); high priority be given to expand services for children in rural and remote areas; high priority be given to expand services for Indigenous children and for children from immigrant, NESB background and refugee children; funding be provided for ‘healing’ programmes for children who have experienced violence and/or homelessness; funding be provided for widespread remedial education programmes for children who have experienced violence and/or homelessness and have missed schooling; that child protection workers be appropriately trained about the effects of domestic violence on children in the first 6 months of their training and on the general nature of domestic violence; that the practice of removing children from their mothers due to ‘failure to protect’ is damaging to children and must stop; that SAAP recognise children as clients in their own right and provide funding for employing child support workers; and that the SAAP training budget be improved to provide training on child protection, the health needs of children, and on the diversity of children and families and their needs. In relation to family law issues, recommendations include: that Australia adopts the New Zealand family law model to ensure the safety of the child where domestic violence is alleged; that the Family Law Act be amended to include a ‘safety first’ principle as a determinant factor; that screening tools be developed in consultation with domestic violence services; that costs are not awarded against parents who make ‘unproven’ allegations of domestic violence or child abuse; and that equal time is not to be a compulsory starting point. Additional reading references are given.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/11440
ISBN:	9780646451459
Appears in Collections:	Books

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