Good evidence, safe outcomes in parenting matters involving domestic violence? Understanding family report writing practice from the perspective of professionals working in the Family Law system

"Cases involving families where there are allegations of domestic violence
constitute a significant part of family court caseloads in Australia. Research
undertaken by the Australian Institute of Family Studies showed that allegations
of spousal violence occurred in over 51 per cent of litigated cases, with the figure
rising to over 70 per cent of cases not judicially determined. These are complex
and difficult cases often filled with allegations and counter-allegations. A critical
piece of evidence often obtained in these cases is a family assessment report (a
'family report'), which is prepared by a family consultant, usually a social
worker or psychologist. A recent evaluation showed that family reports are
increasingly being obtained in cases involving allegations of domestic violence
or abuse, with a rise from one-third in the pre-reform cases reviewed to just over
half post-reform."
from Introduction
Open source