Family law

This series comprises a range of student texts, each adopting a problem-solving approach within a discrete area of the law. This text is designed as an easily accessible account of the legislative and judicial principles contained in Australian family law.

Boys` Stuff

What do guys think about growing up, friends, sex, sport, drugs and everything else that matters? In this book, teenagers write about their lives. It's honest, raw and real. They talk about what the rules are, how they break them, and what's really cool.

Woodcutter's son

Allan is 45 years old and a published poet. At 17, Allan's father told him if he ever went to gaol he would lose his family. Allan became a notorious bank robber and his dad was proved right. Thirty years later, his father is dead and Allan is seeking reconciliation with his mother and sister. In the meanwhile, he found substitute families in gaol and latterly at Ozanam Community Centre, where Allan has spent time since his release from Pentridge.

Family breakdown, the best interests of the child concept, and the legal system

It appears that the legal system's response to the issues relating to family breakdown and "the best interests of the child" concept can sometimes be inadequate. There also appears to a lack of consistency with regards to enforcing the best interests of the child concept in legal proceedings concerning children.

Understanding resilience in same-sex parented families : the work, love, play study

Background: While families headed by same-sex couples have achieved greater public visibility in recent years, there are still many challenges for these families in dealing with legal and community contexts that are not supportive of same-sex relationships. The Work, Love, Play study is a large longitudinal study of same-sex parents. It aims to investigate many facets of family life among this sample and examine how they change over time. The study focuses specifically on two key areas missing from the current literature: factors supporting resilience in same-sex parented families; and health and wellbeing outcomes for same-sex couples who undergo separation, including the negotiation of shared parenting arrangements post-separation. The current paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the design and methods of this longitudinal study and discuss its significance.
Methods/Design: The Work, Love, Play study is a mixed design, three wave, longitudinal cohort study of same-sex attracted parents. The sample includes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents in Australia and New Zealand (including single parents within these categories) caring for any children under the age of 18 years. The study will be conducted over six years from 2008 to 2014. Quantitative data are to be collected via three on-line surveys in 2008, 2010 and 2012 from the cohort of parents recruited in Wave1. Qualitative data will be collected via interviews with purposively selected subsamples in 2012 and 2013. Data collection began in 2008 and 355 respondents to Wave One of the study have agreed to participate in future surveys. Work is currently underway to increase this sample size. The methods and survey instruments are described.
Discussion: This study will make an important contribution to the existing research on same-sex parented families.
Strengths of the study design include the longitudinal method, which will allow understanding of changes over time within internal family relationships and social supports. Further, the mixed method design enables triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data. A broad recruitment strategy has already enabled a large sample size with the inclusion of both gay men and lesbians.

Family dynamics and the risks for child maltreatment of stepchildren

The thesis examined systemic factors that placed children in stepfamilies at greater risk of physical abuse and neglect by comparing differences between biological- and step-families on a number of known risk factors. A model describing the pathway of child abuse and neglect for children living in stepfamilies was developed to aid in prevention.The portfolio presents four case studies which demonstrate the impact of disruptions to attachment experiences and the sequelae on psychological functioning and how the associated affect dysregulation may be linked to attachment disruptions.

Family interactions and the development of borderline personality symptoms

This thesis investigated the emergence of borderline personality disorder in adolescence. It found that adolescent sensitivity to, and maternal socialization of, aggressive behaviour is associated with borderline pathology. Change in pathology over time was related to adolescent dysphoric behaviour and sensitivity to inconsistent displays of maternal negative emotion.