Family violence triage in family courts: Safety, efficacy and benefit

Background

Domestic and family violence (DFV) risks are highest during relationship separation, and elevated further for parents and children involved in Family Court disputes. Utilising the federal Family Courts’ Lighthouse pilot program, this project examines risk pathways, burdens and costs of post-separation DFV, and the efficacy and cost–benefits of early DFV triage. La Trobe University has partnered with the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia and Relationships Australia South Australia on this ARC Linkage Project.

Aim

We intend to produce new knowledge about family and systemic drivers of safety, to understand the efficacy of DFV triage and to translate findings into resources for preventing DFV harms.

Methods

Using qualitative and quantitative data, this project will:
• Describe one-year pathways of family violence victimisation and perpetration in parenting matters, their burdens and their costs.
• Examine efficacy for safety enhancement and cost–benefits of early triage.
• Identify core components of enhanced safety for parents and children.
• Develop and pilot a new shared prevention resource for parents and court practitioners.

Significance

This world-first study aims to inform global family law policy and practice, with intergenerational benefit for vulnerable Australian families and society. There is unique potential for the Lighthouse project to contribute new knowledge to the family law field, with direct significant public health benefit, nationally and internationally. This represents a greater capacity to understand, evaluate and reduce the interpersonal, economic and social burden of family violence, for all family members affected by post-separation violence, and within the systems that support them.

Funding Body

ARC Linkage Project: LP210100181

Funding Budget

$792,672.00

Project start date

July 2021

Expected completion date

July 2025