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Research

Our research

Violence against women and children affects everybody. It impacts on the health, wellbeing and safety of a significant proportion of Australians throughout all states and territories and places an enormous burden on the nation’s economy across family and community services, health and hospitals, income-support and criminal justice systems.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

News and events

ANROWS hosts events as part of its knowledge transfer and exchange work, including public lectures, workshops and research launches. Details of upcoming ANROWS activities and news are available from the list on the right.

ANROWS

About ANROWS

ANROWS was established by the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments of Australia to produce, disseminate and assist in applying evidence for policy and practice addressing violence against women and their children.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

Resources

To support the take-up of evidence, ANROWS offers a range of resources developed from research to support practitioners and policy-makers in delivering evidence-based interventions.


RP.14.05

Domestic and family violence and parenting: Mixed method insights into impact and support needs

Completed
June 2017

This project focused on the impact of domestic and family violence (DFV) on parenting.


The aim of this project was to improve understanding of how DFV affects parenting capacity to reduce the negative impact of DFV on women and children. Specifically, it addressed three key questions:

  1. How does a reported history of DFV affect mother-child and father-child relationships?
  2. How do mothers who have experienced DFV perceive it has affected their relationship with their children?
  3. To what extent have these mothers had contact with relevant services and was this contact helpful or unhelpful?

The project applied a mixed method approach incorporating: a literature review, a quantitative element using three existing, large-scale databases (the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, the Longitudinal Study of Separated Families and the Survey of Recently Separated Parents 2012), and a qualitative element providing insight into the experiences of mothers who have used services across a range of areas in the context of a history of DFV.

A range of publications for the general community, policy makers, practitioners and researchers was developed from this project to inform policy and practice strategies that respond to the needs of mothers and children who have experienced DFV. The project supports the further development of approaches to working with DFV perpetrators in the context of their parenting.

This project provides evidence on:

  • the impact of domestic and family violence on parenting; and
  • how to strengthen mother child relationships following domestic and family violence.

Researchers

Principal chief investigator:

Dr Rae Kaspiew, Senior Research Fellow, Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS).

Chief investigators:

Professor Angela Taft, Director, and Ms Leesa Hooker, Lecturer, Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University.

Professor Jan Nicholson, Inaugural Roberta Holmes Professorial Chair, Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University.

Dr Lixia Qu, Senior Research Fellow, Demographic Trends Analyst, Australian Institute of Family Studies.

Professor Cathy Humphreys, Alfred Felton Chair of Child and Family Social Work, University of Melbourne.

Research partners / team members:

Ms Ruth Weston, Assistant Director (Research), Family Law Evaluation, Work and Family, AIFS.

Dr Fiona Buchanan, Lecturer, School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy, Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences, University of South Australia.

DV Victoria (DV Vic); National Network of Women’s Legal Centres; Women’s Legal Service Victoria; No To Violence; SA Uniting Communities; and Anglicare WA.


Downloads

Research summary

Domestic and family violence and parenting: Mixed methods insights into impact and support needs: Key findings and future directions

Download

Research report

Domestic and family violence and parenting: Mixed methods insights into impact and support needs: Final report

Download

State of knowledge

Domestic and family violence and parenting: Mixed methods insights into impact and support needs: State of knowledge paper

Download

Fact Sheet

Inter-parental conflict, parenting, and child development in Australian families: Fact sheet

Download

Presentations

Sadie’s story:
Helping women affected by domestic and family violence navigate a fragmented system.



This webinar, broadcast on 1 April 2020, discussed the effects of domestic and family violence on women, and how practitioners can help women receive the support they need. This webinar was presented in collaboration with Child Family Community Australia (CFCA) and in consultation with Steven Lock, Practice Leader (Domestic and Family Violence), Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women, Queensland.



CASE STUDY

A case study of the impacts of domestic and family violence on women and their children

Download

 

Budget

$294,000 (approx.)

Funded by Australian Commonwealth, state and territory governments under ANROWS’s 2014 core grant round.

find out more

Contact ANROWS

PO Box Q389, Queen Victoria Building NSW 1230
Email: enquiries@anrows.org.au      

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