The book aims to explore the exciting opportunities offered by a systemic approach for mental health professionals and psychotherapists when working with families and other systems where domestic violence in intimate relationships is of concern. The main purpose of the book lies in the application of systemic thinking to safety and to understanding the complexity of domestic violence on family relationships over time. The authors outline their approach to these complex issues based on their eight years of joint experience in the Reading Safer Families project. They draw from a broad field of family psychology and systemic psychotherapy to distil the theories, methods and techniques most helpful to practitioners working in modern public and voluntary agencies. Their systemic approach to issues of risk, responsibility and collaboration provides a coherent framework within which to integrate practice. The book also provides a practice orientated and detailed approach to risk assessment, risk management and family reunification. This book will be of interest to practitioners in clinical and educational psychology, social work, nursing, psychiatry, probation, health visiting, counselling and psychotherapy, who work with individuals living in intimate relationships where violence may be of concern, and also to practice supervisors, trainers, trainees and students in these disciplines.

A look at gun control, campus sexual assault, immigration, and more that considers the future of responses to domestic violence Domestic violence is commonly assumed to be a bipartisan, nonpolitical issue, with politicians of all stripes claiming to work to end family violence. Nevertheless, the Violence Against Women Act expired for over 500 days between 2012 and 2013 due to differences between the U.S. Senate and House, demonstrating that legal protections for domestic abuse survivors are both highly political and highly vulnerable. Racial and gender politics, the move toward criminalization, reproductive justice concerns, gun control debates, and political interests are increasingly shaping responses to domestic violence, demonstrating the need for greater consideration of the interplay of politics, domestic violence, and how the law works in people’s lives. The Politicization of Safety provides a critical historical perspective on domestic violence responses in the United States. It grapples with the ways in which child welfare systems and civil and criminal justice responses intersect, and considers the different, overlapping ways in which survivors of domestic abuse are forced to cope with institutionalized discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and immigration status. The book also examines movement politics and the feminist movement with respect to domestic violence policies. The tensions discussed in this book, similar to those involved in the #metoo movement, include questions of accountability, reckoning, redemption, healing, and forgiveness. What is the future of feminism and the movements against gender-based violence and domestic violence? Readers are invited to question assumptions about how society and the legal system respond to intimate partner violence and to challenge the domestic violence field to move beyond old paradigms and contend with larger justice issues.

A call for safety and accountablilty.

'Domestic Violence and Child Protection' explores the challenges of working effectively in this complex field and offers positive models for practice. Leading practitioners and researchers outline the essential safety considerations for children, adult victims and child protection workers.

Up to 65% of couples who seek therapy for marital problems have had at least one prior violent episode. Unfortunately, therapists often miss this critical information because they do not effectively assess for it. This book presents a safety-focused approach to assessment and treatment of couples who choose to remain together after one or both partners have been violent. Treatment options for intimate partner violence have evolved alongside the growing awareness and broader definitions of domestic violence. Since 1997 the authors have conducted Domestic Violence Focused Couples Treatment (DVFCT), collected data, and refined their program. The authors outline their assessment and screening process and share case illustrations to demonstrate when conjoint treatment can be a safe and viable option. Readers get an overview of the 18-session course of DVFCT and tips for adapting it for multi-couple groups or for a single couple. The major tenets of solution-focused therapy, such as underscoring even the smallest of successes, are emphasized throughout, as are the following special features: -safety planning -mindfulness techniques for anger awareness and reduction -negotiated time-out procedures -drug and alcohol use modules -psychoeducational tools and materials on violence Therapists will learn how to assess intimate partner violence and help couples eliminate all forms of violence and begin on a positive path toward their vision of a healthy relationship.

Domestic and family violence (DFV) is an enduring social and public health issue of endemic proportions and global scale, with multiple and lasting consequences for those directly affected. This book tackles current debates in the field and addresses the social norms and settings that perpetuate this type of violence, along with implications for service delivery. The book offers a thorough introduction into the nature and extent of DFV in contemporary social contexts and serves as a foundation for informed practice. It provides a firm theoretical and empirical overview of core issues, covering the challenges and support needs experienced by those affected, along with the implications this raises for the range of relevant response services. The authors also offer insight into the predominantly gendered nature of DFV and its influence beyond the traditional couple context, across age, gender, sexual orientation, cultural background, and family relationships. Drawing on theoretical explanations, international research, and practice experience, they highlight examples of good practice and holistic responses, including primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Written in a clear and direct style, this book will appeal to students and scholars of criminology, sociology, and social work engaged in studies of domestic and family violence, violence against women, and intimate partner violence. It will be an invaluable resource for those designing, coordinating, and conducting service responses.

This edited collection addresses intimate partner violence, risk and security as global issues. Although intimate partner violence, risk and security are intimately connected they are rarely considered in tandem in the context of global security. Yet, intimate partner violence causes widespread physical, sexual and/or psychological harm. It is the most common type of violence against women internationally and is estimated to affect 30 per cent of women worldwide. Intimate partner violence has received significant attention in recent years, animating political debate, policy and law reform as well as scholarly attention. In bringing together a range of international experts, this edited collection challenges status quo understandings of risk and questions how we can reposition the risk of IPV, and particularly the risk of IPH, as a critical site of global and national security. It brings together contributions from a range of disciplines and international jurisdictions, including from Australia and New Zealand, United Kingdom, Europe, United States, North America, Brazil and South Africa. The contributions here urge us to think about perpetrators in more nuanced and sophisticated ways with chapters pointing to the structural and social factors that facilitate and sustain violence against women and IPV. Contributors point out that states not only exacerbate the structural conditions producing the risks of violence, but directly coerce and control women as both citizens and non-citizens. States too should be understood as collaborators and facilitators of intimate partner violence. Effective action against intimate partner violence requires sustained responses at the global, state and local levels to end gender inequality. Critical to this end are environmental issues, poverty and the divisions, often along ‘race’ and ethnic lines, underpinning other dimensions of social and economic inequality.