Family courts play a critical role in safeguarding children and victim‑survivors. Strengthening risk identification and response pathways is essential to ensuring safer, more informed, and trauma‑aware decisions for families navigating separation and litigation.
New Research Publication
We're pleased to share our latest paper from the Family Violence Triage in Family Courts: Safety, Efficacy and Benefit, ARC Linkage (LP210100181).
Family violence risk screening and case management pathways in the Australian family courts: A cluster‑controlled comparison.
Published by Journal of Psyhology, Public Policy and Law
This study examines how structured risk screening supports safety-focused case management pathways for families at high risk of violence in the Australian family court system.
Key Findings
1. New initiatives implemented by the Courts, including structured risk screening processes:
- Enable identification of family violence concerns, supporting earlier and greater attention to high-risk matters
- Support safety-focused court actions for high-risk families and enable an increased focus on children’s risk status
2. System-level approaches that integrate screening, triage, and tailored case management show promise in supporting the prioritisation of family safety in the court context.
Access the full publication at https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000494
Learn more about the project at Stories of Family Safety Study.
