Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-2lccl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T23:44:56.429Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mothering – a mode of protecting rather than parenting in the aftermath of post separation family violence in Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2020

Leanne Francia Open the ORCID record for Leanne Francia [Opens in a new window] ,
Prudence Millear  and
Rachael Sharman
Leanne Francia*
Affiliation:
School of Social Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Down, Australia
Prudence Millear
Affiliation:
School of Social Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Down, Australia
Rachael Sharman
Affiliation:
School of Social Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Down, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Leanne Francia, Email: Leanne.Francia@research.usc.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The focus of this qualitative study was on separated mother’s (N = 36) lived experiences of mothering in the context of post separation family violence and the Australian family law system. Thematic analysis of interviews was guided by a theoretical framework, this being the Three Planets Model. Analysis of the data resulted in two themes relating to mothering being identified. Firstly, that women demonstrated a mode of protecting rather than parenting indicating that mothering was often undertaken in isolation and fear, within an adversarial family law system, and in the presence of a perpetrator of family violence. The second theme related to the aftermath of separation and the long dark shadow cast by family violence. After having left a controlling and violent relationship, separated mothers reported that there was no opportunity to recover, nor to healthily extricate themselves from family violence, which resulted in cumulative harm not only for their wellbeing but also for their children.

Keywords

family violencefamily law systemmotherschild protectionseparation
Type
Articles
Information
Children Australia , Volume 45 , Issue 2 , June 2020 , pp. 109 - 116
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, C. M. (2006). The consequences of witnessing family violence on children and implications for family counselors. The Family Journal: Counselling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 14(4), 334–341. https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480706290342CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, D. K., & Sanders, D. G. (2007). The post separation psychological recovery of domestic violence survivors. Intimate partner violence. Civic Research Institute Inc.Google Scholar
Anderson, D. K., Saunders, D. G., Yoshihama, M., Bybee, D., & Sullivan, C. M. (2003). Long term trends in depression among women separated from abusive partners. Violence Against Women, 9(7), 807–838. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801203009007004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006; 2012) Personal Safety Survey. ABS.Google Scholar
Australian Law Reform Commission. (2019). Family law for the future—An inquiry into the family law system. https://www.alrc.gov.au/news/family-law-inquiry-final-report-released/Google Scholar
Australian Institute of Family Studies. (2015). Children’s exposure to domestic and family violence: Key issues and responses. CFCA Paper No. 36.Google Scholar
Australian Institute of Family Studies. (2019). Parenting arrangements after separation: Evidence summary. https://www.aifs.gov.au/publications/parenting-arrangements-after-separationGoogle Scholar
Barker, K. (2013). Children and contact in the context of parental separation and family violence: A practice perspective., Children Australia, 38(4), 171–177. https://doi.org/10.1017/cha.2013.29CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brady, M. (2015). What can qualitative research contribute to work and family policy? Journal of Family Studies, 21(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080.13229400.2015.1023173CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp0630aCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Briggs, F., & McInnes, E. (2012). Commentary: Can family law protect young children? Children Australia, 37(2), 54–55. https://doi.org/10.1017/cha.2012.13CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buchanan, A., Hunt, J., Bretherton, H., & Bream, V. (2001). Families in conflict: Perspectives of children and parents on the family court welfare service. The Policy Press.Google Scholar
Council of Australian Governments. (2011). National plan to reduce violence against women and their children: Including the 3-year action plan. FAHCSIA.Google Scholar
De Maio, J., Kaspiew, R., Smart, D., Dunstan, J., & Moore, S. (2013). Separated parents: A study of who separated prior to the implementation of the Family Law Amendment (Family Violence & Other Matters) Act, 2011 (Cth). Australian Institute of Family Studies.Google Scholar
Easteal, P., Young, L., & Carline, A. (2018). Domestic violence, property and family law in Australia. International Journal of Law, Policy and The Family, 32, 204–229. https://doi.org/10.1093/lawfam/eby005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Family Law Act. (1975), (Cth). https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/fla1975114Google Scholar
Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) Act. (2006), (Cth). http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinosrch.cgi?search-filter=on&search-text=on&query=family+law+amendment+%28shared+parental+responsibility%29+act+2006&mask_path=au%2Flegis%2Fcth%2Fconsol_act&mask_path=au%2Flegis%2Fcth%2Fnum_act&mask_path=au%2Flegis%2Fcth%2Frepealed_act&mask_path=au%2Flegis%2Fcth%2Fconsol_reg&mask_path=au%2Flegis%2Fcth%2Fnum_reg&mask_path=au%2Flegis%2Fcth%2Fnum_reg_es&mask_path=au%2Flegis%2Fcth%2Frepealed_reg&mask_path=au%2Flegis%2Fcth%2Fbill&mask_path=au%2Flegis%2Fcth%2Fbill_em&mask_path=au%2Flegis%2Fcth%2Fdigest&mask_path=au%2Flegis%2Fcth%2FtableGoogle Scholar
Family Law Amendment (Family Violence and Cross-examination of Parties) Act 2018 (Cth) (Austl.). https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2018A00159Google Scholar
Family Law Legislation Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Act 2011 (Cth) (Austl.). https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2011A00189Google Scholar
Fehlberg, B., Kaspiew, R., Millbank, J., Kelly, F., & Behrens, J. (2015). Australian Family Law: The Contemporary Context (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Francia, L., Millear, P., & Sharman, R. (2019). Addressing family violence post separation – Mothers and father’s experiences from Australia, Journal of Child Custody, 16(3), 211–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/15379418.2019.1583151CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ganong, L., & Coleman, M. (2014). Qualitative research on family relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 31, 451–459. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407514520828CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hardesty, J., & Chung, G. (2006). Intimate partner violence, parental divorce and child custody: Direction for intervention and future research. Family Relations, 55(2), 200–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hart, A. S. (2013). Centralising children’s needs in dispute resolution in family violence cases. Children Australia, 38(4), 178–183. https://doi.org/10.1017/cha.2013.24CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hester, M. (2011). The Three Planet Model: Towards an understanding of contradictions in approaches to women and children’s safety in context of domestic violence. British Journal of Social Work, 41, 837–853. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bar095CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holden, G. W. (2003). Children exposed to domestic violence and child abuse: Terminology and taxonomy. Clinical Child and Family Psychological Review, 6(3), 151–160. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024906315255CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holland, K. M., Brown, S. V., Hall, J. E., & Logan, J. E. (2018). Circumstances preceding homicide-suicides involving child victims: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 33(3), 379–401. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260515605124CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holt, S. (2003). Child protection social work and men’s abuse of women: An Irish study. Child & Family Social Work, 18(1), 53–65. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2206.2003.00265.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holtzworth-Munroe, A., Smutzler, N., Bates, L., & Sandin, E. (1997). Husband violence: Basic facts and clinical implications. In Halford, W. K. & Markman, H. J. (Eds.) Clinical handbook of marriage and couple interactions (pp. 129–156). John Wiley.Google Scholar
House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs. (2003). Every picture tells a story: Inquiry into child custody arrangements in the event of family separation. https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House_of_Representatives_Committees?url=fca/childcustody/report.htmGoogle Scholar
House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs. (2017). A better family law system to support and protect those affected by family violence. https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Social_Policy_and_Legal_Affairs/FVlawreform/ReportGoogle Scholar
Humphreys, C., & Absler, D. (2011). History repeating: Child protection responses to domestic violence. Child & Family Social Work, 16, 464–473. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2011.00761.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Humphreys, C., Thiara, R. K., & Skamballis, A. (2011). Readiness to change: Mother-child relationships and domestic violence intervention. British Journal of Social Work, 40, 166–184. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcq046CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jaffe, P. G., Lemon, N. K. D., & Poisson, S. E. (2003). Child custody and domestic violence: A call for safety and accountability. Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Johnston, J. R., & Ver Steegh, N. (2013). Historical trends in family court response to intimate partner violence: Perspectives of critics and proponents of current practices. Family Court Review, 51, 63–73. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12009CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaspiew, R., Carson, R., Dunston, J., De Maio, J., Moore, S., Moloney, L. … & Tayton, S. (2015). Experiences of separated parents’ study (evaluation of the 2012 family violence amendments). Australian Institute of Family Studies.Google Scholar
Keogh, E., Smyth, B., & Masardo, A. (2018). Law reform for shared-time parenting after separation: Reflections from Australia. Singapore Academy of Law Journal. https://www.eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/5372Google Scholar
Khaw, L., Bermea, A. M., Hardesty, J. L., Saunders, D., & Whittaker, A. M. (2018). The system had choked me too. Abused mother’s perceptions of the custody determination process that resulted in negative custody outcomes. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886269518791226Google Scholar
KPMG. (2014). Attorney-General’s Department review of the performance and funding of the Federal Court of Australia, the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia. https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:%22library/lcatalog/01240904%22;src1=sm1Google Scholar
Laing, L. (2017). Secondary victimization: Domestic violence survivors navigating the family law system. Violence Against Women, 23(11), 1314–1335. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801216659942CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lannert, B. K., Garcia, A. M., Smagur, K. E., Yalch, M. M., Levondosky, A. A., Bogat, G. A., & Lonstein, J. S. (2014). Relational trauma in the context of intimate partner violence. Child Abuse & Neglect, 38(12), 1966–1975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.10.002CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Levondonsky, A. A., & Graham-Bermann, S. A. (2001). Parenting in battered women: The effects of domestic violence on women and their children. Journal of Family Violence, 16(2), 171–192. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011111003373CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levondonsky, A. A., Huth-Bocks, A. C., & Semel, M. A. (2002). Adolescent peer relationships and mental health functioning in families with domestic violence. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 31(2), 206–218. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15374424JCCP3102_06CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levendonsky, A. A., Huth-Bocks, A. C., Shapiro, D. L., & Semel, M. A. (2003). The impact of domestic violence on the maternal-child relationship and preschool-age children’s functioning. Journal of Family Psychology, 17(3), 275–287. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3209.17.3.275CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lundy, M., & Grossman, S. F. (2005). The mental health and service needs of young children exposed to domestic violence: Supportive data. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 86(1), 17–29. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.1873CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manetta, A. A., & Pendergast, A. (2003). Suicidal statements made by children who witness family violence. A black and white comparison. In Fittskirk, P. & Shohov, S. P. (Eds.) Focus on behavioural psychology (pp. 35–46). Nova Science.Google Scholar
McGee, C. (2000). Childhood experiences of domestic violence. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.Google Scholar
McInnes, E. (2014). Madness in family law: Mothers’ mental health in the Australian family law system. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 21(1), 78–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2013.774688CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McIntosh, J. E. (2003). Children living with domestic violence: Research foundations for early intervention. Journal of Family Studies, 9(2), 219–234. https://doi.org/10.5172/jfs.9.2.219CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, S. L., & Smolter, N. L. (2011). ‘Paper abuse’: When all else fails, batterers use procedural stalking. Violence Against Women, 17(5), 637–650. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801211407290CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, M. (2015). “All I want is a life free of violence” – The impact of family and domestic violence on children. In Human Rights Report (pp. 96–167). Australian Human Rights Commission.Google Scholar
Parkinson, P. (2013). Family law and the indissolubility of parenthood. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Perry, B. (2001). The neurodevelopmental impact of violence in childhood. In Schetly, D. & Benedek, E. (Eds.). Textbook of child and adolescent forensic psychiatry (pp. 221–238). American Psychiatric Press.Google Scholar
Powell, O., & Morrison, K. (2017). Practice commentary therapeutically supporting children to recover from the impact of family violence. Children Australia, 42(3), 137–141. https://doi.org/10.1017/cha.2017.25CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Price-Robertson, R., Rush, P., Wall, L., & Higgins, D. (2013). Rarely an isolated incident: Acknowledging the interrelatedness of of child maltreatment, victimisation and trauma. CFCA Paper No. 15Google Scholar
Price Waterhouse Cooper. (2018). Review of the efficiency of the operation of the Federal Courts. Final report. https://www.ag.gov.au/LegalSystem/Courts/Documents/pwc-report.pdfGoogle Scholar
Ragavan, M., Bruce, J., Lucha, S., Jayaraman, T., Stein, H., & Chamberlain, L. (2017). The health of women and children after surviving intimate partner violence. Violence Against Women, 23(10), 1205–1227. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012 16656833CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rhoades, H. (2002). The ‘no contact mother’: Reconstructions of motherhood in the era of the ‘new father’. International Journal of Law, Policy and The Family, 16, 71–94. https://doi.org/10.1093/lawfam/16.1.71CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Semple, D. (2008). Future governance options for Federal Family Law Courts in Australia: Striking the right balance. Attorney-General’s Department. https://www.ag.gov.au/LegalSystem/Courts/Documents/court-reform-semple-report.PDFGoogle Scholar
Tiovonen, C., & Backhouse, C. (2018). National risk management principles for domestic and family violence: Quick reference guide for practitioners (ANROWS Insights 10/2018). ANROWS.Google Scholar
Trinder, L., Firth, A., & Jenks, C. (2010). So presumably things have moved on since then? The management of risk allegations in child contact dispute resolution. International Journal of Law, Policy & the Family, 24(1), 29–53. https://doi.org/10.1093/lawfam/ebp010CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Mind, brain and body in the transformation of trauma. Allen Lane.Google Scholar
Westrupp, E. M., Rose, N., Nicholson, J. M., & Brown, S. J. (2015). Exposure to inter-parental conflict across 10 years of the early childhood period: Data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 19(9), 1966–1973. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10995-015-1704-3CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wolfe, D. A., Crookes, C. V., Lee, V., McIntyre-Smith, A., & Jaffe, P. (2003). The effects of children’s exposure to domestic violence: A meta-analysis and critique. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 6, 171–187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar