Bibliographies
The following bibliography has been compiled from the Australian Family & Society Abstracts database and other resources held in the Institute's library. Where available a link to the document on the Web is provided. Most items can be borrowed from the Institute's library via the inter library loan system. Online publications in PDF format require Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Children's contact services
A guide to establish a children's contact
service.
Davison, D
Alphington, Vic: Australian
Children's Contact Services Association, 2000, 26p plus appendices
This guide provides information and advice regarding the steps
to be taken in the establishment of a children's contact service. Eleven
phases involved in the establishment of such a service are covered,
describing the specific steps involved to achieve service delivery which
meets the needs of parents and children, meets basic standards, uses best
practice processes and is resource efficient without compromising safety
for all concerned. The appendices provide practical examples of
procedures and guidelines used by various established children's contact
services.
Adolescents' views on the fairness of parenting and financial
arrangements after separation.
Parkinson, Patrick;
Cashmore, Judy; Single, Judi
Family Court Review v.43 no.3 Jul
2005: 429-444, figures
Young people aged 12 - 19 years were
interviewed about their experiences of parenting and financial
arrangements after separation. The following results are discussed:
young people's general views about the decision making process; dividing
time between the parents; the importance of sibling relationships;
patterns of residence; how much say participants had in their living
arrangements; contact patterns; young people's control over contact;
young people's views about the fairness of the contact arrangements;
comparing children's and resident parents' views about the fairness of
the contact arrangements and the financial arrangements; and fairness of
arrangements concerning money and property division.
Best practice guidelines for lawyers doing family law
work.
Family Law Council (Australia); Law Council of
Australia. Family Law Section
Canberra, ACT: Public Affairs Unit,
Australian Government Attorney-General's Department, 2004, 68p, and
Online (PDF 508K)
These guidelines were developed to assist
lawyers practising family law and to encourage best practice in family
law. The guidelines cover the following areas: conduct and communication;
primary dispute resolution; costs; self represented litigants;
proceedings for dissolution of marriage, and divorce; children; property
and spousal maintenance; unmarried cohabitation; child support and child
maintenance; family violence; injunctions; experts; and trials and
appeals. The appendices discuss notes on Children's contact services and
interview techniques for matters involving family violence.
Children abused in contact arrangements: some implications
for practitioners.
Rendell, K
Domestic Violence and
Incest Resource Centre Newsletter no.2 Winter 2001: 3-8
Kathryn Rendell, Zoe Rathus and Angela Lynch recently completed 'An
Unacceptable Risk.. A Report on Child Contact Arrangements where there is
Violence in the Family'. This report was the result of a research project
conducted in Queensland under the auspices of the Women's Legal Service
Inc. for the Abuse Free Contact Group. The full report explores issues
associated with the investigatory agencies, the Family Court and the
legal aid system. This article outlines the approach taken by the
researchers and provides an extract from the findings in relation to
children and violence in the family. Some implications for working with
children experiencing abuse in contact arrangements are offered. The
report is available from the Women's Legal Service in Brisbane. (Journal
abstract)
Children's contact services: on servicing and respecting
children's identity.
Renouf, E
Children Australia
v.24 no.2 1999: 10-12
This article offers a brief notation on
the First International Conference on Child Access Services, held in
Paris on 4-7 November 1998. The author raises some questions which took
shape at the Conference and notes the contrasting representations in
different countries of the disciplines involved in establishing and
running Child Contact Centres and how these may contribute to the
contrast in ideology and philosophy in the setting up and running of
these centres and the services they offer. The author's knowledge of the
French contact centre models provides a basis for looking at the
establishment of Australian centres, both government and non-government
funded. The French centres' paramount goal to develop respect for the
child as a person and uphold his legal position by equipping him with a
sense of his history and roots, and by fostering respect between the
parents, is seen as a more comprehensible concept than the ambiguous
'best interest of the child' goal upheld in Anglo-Saxon countries.
Moreover, the length of involvement with families in the French centres
is contrasted with the shorter period needed to secure the child's
physical safety. The article concludes with the hope that Australian
centres are at the threshold of developing an adjunct facilitative
structure that would allow progress within the families referred to them
and offers as a parting note some recent American research findings on
the profile of families using visitation services and of the providers of
such services. (Journal abstract)
Children's contact services: expectation and
experience: final report.
Sheehan, Grania; Carson,
Rachel; Fehlberg, Belinda; Hunter, Rosemary; Tomison, Adam; Ip, Regin;
Dewar, John
Canberra, ACT: Attorney-General's Department, 2005,
296p, tables, figure, and Online (PDF 1605K)
The aim of the
Children's Contact Services Study was to explore the role of children's
contact services in Australia and the expectations of different parties
regarding the use of contact services. It was conducted in Queensland and
Victoria by researchers from the Socio-Legal Research Centre at Griffith
University in Brisbane, the Law School at The University of Melbourne and
the Australian Institute of Family Studies in Melbourne. The study
systematically explored the usages and perceived roles of Children's
Contact Services from the perspectives of the clients and service
providers, referring agencies and other key stakeholders. This final
report on the study covers: the background and aim of the study; design,
sampling and procedures; client characteristics and reasons for referral;
the central role and important functions of the children's contact
services; the referral process; factors that facilitate and impede the
functioning of contact services; service provision in the best interests
of the child; children's experiences of supervised contact and
changeovers; moving on; future service development; discussion and
conclusions.
Contact Orders Program: an innovative program
working with high conflict post separation familes.
Price, Clive; Solomon, Megan
In: People, Partnerships and
Performance - Family Services Australia National Conference 2003 - FSA
Conference proceedings. Deakin, ACT: Family Services Australia, 2003, 9p,
Online only (Powerpoint presentation in PDF format 131K)
This
is a joint presentation of Unifam's 'Keeping Contact Program' NSW and
Anglicare WA 'Mums and Dad's Forever' Program. Information provided about
the Contact Orders Program includes background and history; court
processes; the Keeping Contact model; key interventions; key principles;
complementary programs; referring organisations; client characteristics;
effect of high conflict post separation on children; key evaluation
findings; future directions for working with high conflict
post-separation families.
Children first: a resource manual for the
Contact Orders program.
Australia. Attorney-General's
Department; Australia. Department of Family and Community Services,
Parramatta; Mums and Dads Forever, Anglicare WA; Parents in Contact,
Relationships Australia Tasmania
Canberra, ACT: Attorney-General's
Department, 2004, 66p, figures, and Online
The Contact Orders
program is a dispute resolution program for parents and children
undergoing a difficult separation. This publication is aimed at
organisations providing Contact Orders program services, agencies
providing alternative dispute resolution post separation programs, and
family law practitioners. The publication presents information on the
following: client groups of the program; existing programs; components of
the program; working with agencies in the family law system; primary
dispute resolution capacity and the legislative framework; organisational
issues; and developing the program.
Contact services in Australia: research and evaluation project (final
report).
Strategic Partners Pty Ltd
Barton, ACT:
Legal Aid and Family Services, Attorney-General's Department, 1999, 126p
plus appendices, and Online
In 1995-1996 the Australian
government through the Family Relationships Services
Program in the Legal Aid and Family Services Branch
of the Attorney-General's Department allocated resources
for the development and piloting of ten contact services
which would provide changeover and supervised contact
for children and their parents. This final report presents
the results of an evaluation and research project designed
to increase the understanding of the impact that these
contact services have on children, and the effectiveness,
efficiency and appropriateness of services in this
field. The methodology used for the research and evaluation
included a detailed literature review, visits to each
contact service, workshops, focus groups, interviews
and a parent and child impact study. The final report
includes a good practice framework which, together
with its recommendations, will guide the development
of existing and new children's contact services. Discussion
includes community perspectives, organisational factors,
service delivery issues, costs of good practice, what
parents hope for and what they achieve in contact services.
Father-child contact after separation: profiling five different patterns
of care.
Smyth, Bruce; Caruana, Catherine; Ferro,
Anna
Family Matters no.67 Autumn 2004: 20-27, and Online (PDF
281K)
Using data from the Institute's study, 'Caring for
children after Separation', this article reports on the experiences and
motivations of fathers with a range of different parenting arrangements.
The following five different patterns of father-child contact are
examined: 50/50 shared care; standard contact of every weekend or every
other weekend; daytime only contact; holiday only contact; and little or
no contact. The authors summarise some of the key insights to emerge
from this research.
Going beyond supervised contact: developing a more holistic
service model which facilitates child focused parenting.
Hulett, Lyn
In: Pursuing excellence in family services: Family
Services Australia National Conference, Sydney, October
2004: proceedings. Deakin, ACT: Family Services Australia,
2004, 4p, Online
Current narrow models of supervised contact
services mean that, for some children, the costs and risks of maintaining
contact outweigh the benefits, this paper says. The paper describes a
more integrated case managed model, which is designed around the child's
needs for a safe and meaningful relationship with both parents. The model
aims to help resolve issues of conflict for separated parents, to help
develop parental insights and skills to meet children's needs for
responsive parenting by both parents, and can be flexibly applied to meet
individual needs.
Guideline
for referrals from Family Courts to children's
contact centres.
Family Court of Australia
Sydney, NSW:
Family Court of Australia, 2004 (23/02/2005), Online
Matters
to be considered before a referral of a family is made by the court to a
Children's Contact Service are the focus of this guideline. It seeks to
inform the referral process from courts to Children's Contact Services,
leading to more informed, appropriate referrals, thus optimising
beneficial outcomes for children and for parents who are experiencing
conflict with their post-separation parenting arrangements. A judicial
checklist is provided, as are definitions, and model orders. It is
intended that, at a later date, the guidelines will also cover matters to
be considered during a Children's Contact Service's involvement, and
moving on from the Children's Contact Service's intervention.
New developments in children's contact services.
Peirce, J; Gorman, J
Law Institute Journal v.70 no.9 Sept 1996:
38-40
The article begins by considering what bearing the
Family Law Reform Act 1995 has on contact between a child and a parent
who does not care for the child on a daily basis. The authors explain
that the provisions of the Act emphasise two potentially conflicting
philosophical approaches. On the one hand is the stated principle which
provides for the rights of children to know and to be cared for by both
their parents and to have contact on a regular basis with both their
parents. On the other hand is the provision where the court must ensure
that an order does not expose a person to unacceptable risk of family
violence. The history of the development of contact or access services
in Australia is set out in this article. The authors outline the
guidelines and practical considerations in the establishment of contact
services and their funding, organisation and policy concerns as
formulated by the Australian and New Zealand Association of Children's
Access Services (ANZACAS).
Parent-child contact schedules after divorce.
Smyth,
Bruce
Family Matters no.69 Spring - Summer 2004: 32-43, figures,
and Online (7.8MB)
Most studies indicate that the interests
of children after divorce are generally best served when children can
maintain continuing and frequent contact with both parents who can
cooperate, or at least 'encapsulate' their conflict. However, there
seems to be a widespread belief in Australia that when parents separate,
children usually see their father every other weekend. But is this the
case? In this article, the author provides a 'big picture' snapshot of
contact schedules in Australia, and suggests the use of more creative,
child sensitive arrangements to help maximise the fit between children's
and parents' needs after divorce.
Parent-child contact in Australia: exploring five different
post-separation patterns of parenting.
Smyth, Bruce
International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family v.19 no.1 Apr 2005:
1-22, figures
Five different post separation patterns of
father child contact are examined in this article: 50-50 shared care;
little or no contact; holiday only contact; daytime only contact; and
standard contact, such as every weekend. The article looks at statistics
about patterns of post separation parenting in Australia and considers
the factors that shape contact, including repartnering, relocation and
conflict between parents.
Paying
attention to our children.
Anthony, L
Child
Abuse Prevention Newsletter v.8 no.2 Summer 2000: 1-4, and Online
The Government has announced a number of new children's contact
services which will offer a neutral location for changeovers between
resident and non resident parents and for supervised contact visits. The
purpose is to provide separated parents with the skills and support they
need to deal reasonably with each other for the benefit of their
children. This article focuses on the strategies necessary to ensure
children are receiving the attention they deserve: early intervention and
prevention of problems; working with the community to provide better
services and support for parents; holistic responses to problems; and
using existing activities to build better approaches. Part of the
Government's commitment to help families build resilience and strength is
the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy which is described in this
article.
Protecting children's rights in contact disputes: the role of
children's contact services in Australia.
Sheehan, Grania;
Carson, Rachel
Family Court Review v.44 no.3 Jul 2006: 412-428
What is the role of Children's Contact Services (CCS) in
protecting children's rights to express their wishes in contact disputes?
This article presents findings from the Australian Children's Contact
Services Project, which interviewed government, court and legal
representatives, and service staff and users; and which analysed data on
families who had used one of the services in Queensland or Victoria in
August 2003. The article discusses whether contact services are in
children's best interests, the importance of listening to children's
voices, the role of CCSs in Australia, stopping contact visits due to
children's wishes, withdrawing service altogether, and implications for
future service practice and the referral process.
Relationships of children in stepfamilies with their non-resident
fathers.
Smith, Marjorie
Family Matters no.67
Autumn 2004: 28-35, and Online (PDF 294K)
The number of
children living in stepfamilies is increasing. Most of these children
have another parent (usually the father) who is not resident in the
household but with whom they have some contact. Children's views of the
frequency of this contact, and the quality of father-child and other
family relationships were explored in a recent study undertaken in the UK
between 1998 and 2002. 'The Study of Stepchildren and Step-parenting', is
reported on in this article.
Rethinking contact arrangements involving young
children.
Altobelli, Tom
Australian Journal of
Family Law v.19 no.1 May 2005: 29-43
There is in Australia,
once again, much attention and enquiry focussed on decision making in
children's cases, both as to the substantive law that is to be applied
and the processes to be utilised. The purpose of this article is, among
other things, to contribute to the discussion that is taking place by
suggesting that there might be another way to deal with the interests and
needs of non-resident parents who desire to have meaningful roles in the
lives of their children. That other way would be to reconsider current
standard patterns of contact, particularly for young children, so that
these patterns not only more closely match the current research into
child development, but also more closely meets the developmental needs of
young children.
Safety first? Contact and family violence in New Zealand: an
evaluation of the presumption against unsupervised contact.
Perry, Alison
Child and Family Law Quarterly v.18 no.1 2006:
1-21
The New Zealand Guardianship Amendment Act of 1995
introduced a presumption against unsupervised child contact with a non
resident parent who had been violent, unless this contact could be shown
to be safe. The impact of this presumption against unsupervised child
contact is explored in this article. The article compares the New
Zealand measures with those in England and Wales. It discusses violence,
safety and the applicability of the amendment, unproven allegations and
the risk of harm, the effects of the amendments so far, and challenges to
the presumption.
Time to rethink time? The experience of time with children
after divorce.
Smyth, Bruce
Family Matters no.71
Winter 2005: 4-10, figures
This article re examines the
notion of time in the context of post separation parenting. It is argued
that much of the recent debate in Australia on the merits or otherwise of
50/50 shared care after separation is not about parenting time per se,
but about the subjective experience of time with children. Two types of
time may exist after separation, each largely gendered: for non resident
fathers, time with children is typically experienced as stilted, shallow,
artificial and brief; for resident mothers, time with children may often
be experienced as fluid, deep, demanding and a given. Patterns of care
after separation that allow children to experience meaningful time with
each parent are important for children's and parents' well being. This
article explores these ideas in the context of recent research into
parent child contact after separation.
Training needs analysis: children's
contact services funded by the Australian government.
Ernst & Young
Canberra, ACT: Attorney-General's Department for
Ernst & Young, 2005, 195p, tables, figure, Online only (PDF 1266K)
On behalf of the Commonwealth government, Ernst & Young carried
out a training needs analysis for children's contact services (CCS)
funded under the Family Relationship Services Program (FRSP). This report
presents the findings of the review, which focused on the development of
a high level overview of the training requirements of the children's
contact services sector as a whole. The review employed a questionnaire
and follow up discussions to identify the role of a CCS and the skill and
knowledge requirements of staff in supporting this role.