The Idea of Family Relationship Centres in Australia

Parkinson, Patrick

doi:10.1111/fcre.12020

Cited by 35 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The latest proposed changes follow a package of reforms introduced in 2006 ('the 2006 reforms') that were intended to bring about 'cultural change' in the way that separation and its aftermath were managed (Explanatory Memorandum 2006). The 2006 reforms included changes to the legislation governing post-separation parenting arrangements and the family relationship service system 3 , including the establishment of 65 Family Relationship Centres that provide advice, referrals and dispute resolution services to separating families (Parkinson 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Legislative aspirations and social realities: empirical reflections on Australia's 2006 family law reforms

Kaspiew

Gray

et al. 2011

Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law

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The Australian government has recently introduced a Bill into Parliament that is intended to improve the way concerns about family violence and child abuse are dealt with in the context of post-separation parenting disputes. The move follows recent reports examining the impact of significant reforms to the family law system introduced in 2006. Motivated by a desire to ensure that children maintain involvement with both parents after separation and to place greater emphasis on non-court-based dispute resolution mechanisms, the reforms encompassed legislative change and new and expanded relationship services. The empirical evidence base on the 2006 reforms has highlighted shortcomings in the existing responses to family violence and child abuse, with one large-scale study by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) demonstrating that a history of family violence was as prevalent among shared care arrangements as other arrangements, contrary to the intention of the reforms. This article uses the empirical findings from the AIFS Evaluation to reflect on some key theoretical ideas about how law operates. The Evaluation findings highlighted the prevalence of a history of family violence among separated parents in Australia and provided evidence that this issue complicates the fulfilment of the reform objectives in a range of ways, most obviously in the context of applying appropriate dispute resolution processes and making parenting arrangements that safeguard the well-being of children.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Legislative aspirations and social realities: empirical reflections on Australia's 2006 family law reforms

Kaspiew

Gray

et al. 2011

Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law

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“…The aim of the reforms was to bring about generational change in family law and a cultural shift in the management of separation (Parkinson, 2013). These changes involved amendments to the Family Law Act 1975 and increased funding for new and expanded Family Relationships Services, including the establishment of 65 Family Relationship Centres (FRCs) and a National Advice Line.…”

Section: The Legislative Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Family Relationship Centres (FRC's) deal with large numbers of parents from such backgrounds, especially with families in whom violence is alleged or suspected (Kaspiew et al, 2009). This permits them to have their dispute heard in one of the Family Courts (Parkinson, 2013). This permits them to have their dispute heard in one of the Family Courts (Parkinson, 2013).…”

Section: Complex and High Need Familiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child Protection in Family Relationship Centres: Innovations in Western Australia

Hannan¹

2013

Family Court Review

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Family Relationship Centres (FRCs) established in Australia in 2006 are seeing parents from increasingly complex backgrounds including families where child protection matters may be of serious concern. These matters have required practitioners to shift their thinking about what responsibility they have for hearing the voices of children and their role in child protection. Many of the safety issues that present at FRC's fall below the statutory threshold for child protection intervention and this paper argues that FRC's are well placed to act as a referral and assessment point for families who might not otherwise be assessed or referred to services. This paper outlines a model of child inclusive practice (CIP) used in Anglicare WA's FRC's which is child inclusive but does not proceed to family dispute resolution. Where a risk factor such as family violence, mental health issues, or drug and alcohol issues is identified on intake with parents, children are routinely seen for an interview in order to obtain information about their needs and wellbeing. Literature indicates that many victims minimise violence and the risks associated with it; many parents maintain child contact with perpetrators for fear of retaliation; and many children protect their parents by not disclosing violence or other issues, because they do not want to “add fuel to the fire” or “be disloyal” to a parent. Case studies are provided to underline the importance of safety assessment. Keypoints for the Family Court Community High numbers of complex child protection matters that present at Family Law services Importance of undertaking a safety assessment with children as well as parents where indicated Importance of referral to support services even if cases do not reach child protection threshold

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“…Australia's history regarding separation and divorce, the legal structures and processes available to families to deal with the child-related disputes, the discontent with the adversarial process, and the movement to implement alternatives to the adversarial process (Parkinson, 2011(Parkinson, , 2013 has parallels to the U. S. experience with divorce. The U. S. divorce rate began its sharp rise in the early 1960s, more than doubled by the end of the 1970s, and resulted in more than 1 million children under age 18 affected by divorce each year thereafter.…”

Section: The Parallel Search For Alternatives To the Adversarial Procmentioning

confidence: 99%

Getting It Right for Families in Australia: Commentary on the April 2013 Special Issue on Family Relationship Centres

Kelly¹

2013

Family Court Review

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This Commentary provides a brief overview of the search for alternatives to the adversarial legal system for separating parents in the United States as a context for understanding the vision and importance of the Australian legislation, and then turns to a consideration of six critical aspects of the 2006 Family Relationship Centres legislation that were essential to ensuring success from the outset. Key Points for the Family Court Community and Policy‐makers Bold and innovative family law reform in Australia created a new alternative pathway of community‐based, non‐adversarial services for separating parents with parenting disputes. Family Relationship Centers, the centerpiece of the 2006 reforms, provide a first point of entry with a highly integrated matrix of information, referral, and service options, complemented by national advice and legal information resources for parents. Evaluation of the objectives of the reform legislation indicated a 32% reduction in filings with the Family Court of Australia over five years, increased use of the Family Relationship Centers, reduced use of lawyers for parenting disputes, and significant reduction in costs to the Government for services. This structure and success of this early intervention service model should be of considerable interest to policy‐makers in other countries.

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The Idea of Family Relationship Centres in Australia

Cited by 35 publications

References 29 publications

Legislative aspirations and social realities: empirical reflections on Australia's 2006 family law reforms

Legislative aspirations and social realities: empirical reflections on Australia's 2006 family law reforms

Child Protection in Family Relationship Centres: Innovations in Western Australia

Getting It Right for Families in Australia: Commentary on the April 2013 Special Issue on Family Relationship Centres

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