Family mediation and domestic abuse
Lessons from Australia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6438739 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Amy Sixsmith (0000-0002-4512-5574, University of Sunderland, corresponding author), Rachael Blakey (0000-0002-2763-2257, University of Warwick, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 2-3 |
| Pages | 213-235 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-03 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Social Welfare Law (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0141-8033 • E-ISSN: 1469-9621 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09649069.2025.2530883 |
| OpenAlex | W4412612591 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 24 |
For several decades, policymakers in England and Wales and Australia have implemented various measures designed to increase uptake of family mediation. In both jurisdictions, mediators are ultimately responsible for determining whether, in the circumstances of each case, mediation is a suitable method of dispute resolution. To discharge this duty, mediators must be able to reliably identify cases where there has been, or is a risk of, domestic abuse, and must be suitably equipped to determine whether any risks arising from abuse can be effectively managed. In this paper we use a contemporary comparative analysis of the implementation of mandatory family dispute resolution in Australia to argue that inadequate training and screening regimes undermine both the voluntary nature of the mediation process and the safety of participants. Ultimately, we argue that there is both a pressing need for, and scope to, strengthen the safeguards in place to protect victims/survivors of domestic abuse in England and Wales and make recommendations as to how this might be achieved
Business · Criminology · Domestic violence · Mediation · Medical emergency · Poison control · Political science · Suicide prevention · Child Abuse and Trauma · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Law · Legal Studies and Reforms · Medicine · Psychology
The family law detection of overall risk screen ( FL‐Doors )
Practicing Best Practice
Remote family dispute resolution services for Covid and post‐Covid times
‘Mediators mediating themselves’
Evaluation of a Pilot of Legally Assisted and Supported Family Dispute Resolution in Family Violence Cases
Predicting Domestic Abuse (Fairly) and Police Risk Assessment
The Family Relationship Centre Legal Assistance Services Partnerships Program
Alternative modes of delivery for family dispute resolution
Mandatory dispute resolution and the 2006 family law reforms
A human right to legal aid? – The implications of changes to the legal aid scheme for victims of domestic abuse
Unanswered Questions -Family Dispute Resolution in the Shadow of the Law
Inducing demand for family mediation – before and after Laspo
Rising to the post-Laspo challenge
Delivering Family Justice in the 21st Century
Family mediation
Hearing parties' voices in Coordinated Family Dispute Resolution (CFDR)
Assessing the availability of legal support through the ‘Help with family Mediation’ legal aid scheme
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |