Type:	Journal Article
Title:	Squaring the circle: contact and domestic violence
Other Titles:	Family law
Authors:	Harrison, Christine Humphreys, Catherine
Keywords:	Family law;Child protection;Post-separation violence
Year:	2003
Publisher:	Family law
Citation:	33, June 2003
Notes:	Explores levels and forms of contact between non-resident parents and their children, focusing on the safety and well-being of mothers and children who have experienced domestic violence and child abuse. Since voluntary arrangements are not recorded and contact decisions that come before the courts are scarcely tracked, there is limited information about contact. However, it is known that the English Family Court only refused 1.3 per cent of contact applications, a number significantly surpassed by domestic violence figures. Allegations of domestic violence were found in 61 per cent of 300 family court cases recently studied. Women and children remain at risk of abuse after separation, and supervised contact centres that do not meet the necessary safety standards are particularly dangerous. Research published in 2003 revealed low levels of supervision in England and Wales contact centres. Most centres did not have separate entrances; security cameras were rarely in use; and domestic violence information was only screened in 51 per cent of the centres. As a response, agreed standards for child contact centres are being developed.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/12193
ISSN:	0014-7281
Appears in Collections:	Journal Articles

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