Type:	Non-Fiction
Title:	Child abuse and family law : understanding the issues facing human service and legal professionals
Authors:	Brown, Thea Alexander, Renata
Keywords:	Post-separation violence;Child protection;Family law;Legislation analysis
Year:	2007
Publisher:	Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest
Notes:	General Overview: This book contains a concise and critical analysis of the treatment of child abuse in family law proceedings in Australia. Objective: This book aims to present a comprehensive body of knowledge for professionals working with child abuse in the context of parental separation, divorce and family law proceedings. Discussion:The first two chapters introduce the subject and look at the relationship between child abuse and the dissolution of marriage, examining the specific type of abuse that occurs at that time. It examines the history of understandings of child abuse and critiques the ‘parental alienation syndrome’, which has been used to argue that children who do not want to see abusive fathers have been brainwashed by their mothers. The book then examines how Australian legislation attempts to protect children from abuse and considers the 2006 changes to the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth). These changes create a presumption that it is in children’s best interests for parents to have equal shared parental responsibility and require the court to consider making an order that the child spend equal time with each of the parents. The authors argue that this concept gives even abusive parents priority over the rights of children to be protected. Decisions of judges are examined in detail and the Family Court is criticised for its reluctance to suspend contact, even when a risk of abuse is demonstrated. The nature of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse is examined. The later chapters are specifically addressed to professionals, including solicitors, social workers, psychologists, doctors, nurses, and teachers, and offer guidance in negotiating the maze that is the family law service system. Conclusion: The authors call for a national and unified child protection system, with a specialised court exercising both child welfare and Family Law Act jurisdiction.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/11541
ISBN:	9781865087313
Physical description:	xv, 200 p. ; 21 cm.
Appears in Collections:	Books

Items in ANROWS library are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.