annotated bibliography of new zealand research into family violence

(1995). The Guardianship Amendment Act and Domestic Violence Act (1995) provideunprecedented interventions for women seeking protection from violent partners. TheGuardianship Act now incorporates the presumption that spousal abusers are unfit to have thecustody or unsupervised access of their children unless they are capable of satisfying the courtthat their children will be safe whilst in their care. However, the terms and provisions of theGuardianship Amendment Act and the Domestic Violence Act suggest that the women’spower to procure protection and child custody from the court will remain connected to theirrole as mother. A brief historical survey of the concepts of parental guardianship rights andthe principle of child welfare is provided. The disregard of domestic violence in child custodydeterminations prior to 1995 is considered. This disregard is the specific incidence of theinterpretation of the child welfare principle as requiring a focus on the child which does notspecifically address the needs or rights of parents. This thesis considers the 1995 legislation inlight of the antecedent legislation and policy and raises concerns as to the operation of theGuardianship Amendment Act for women. It suggests that the autonomous rights of womenmay be relegated below a concern for healthy child development.Source: Author’s abstractBerman, S., Barlow, K. A., & Koziol-McLain, J. (2005). Family violence prevention educationprogramme for midwives: An Auckland evaluation [Electronic version]. New ZealandCollege of Midwives Journal, (32), 21-26.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/13251.pubTopic Areas: Intimate partner abuse, Families, Women, Health, Pregnancy, EducationAbstract: This article presents the findings of a qualitative study that evaluated theeffectiveness of the New Zealand College of Midwives’ family violence prevention educationprogramme. The aim of the training workshops is to educate and prepare midwives to screenfor family violence. One month after a one-day training workshop with 40 attendees, 6midwives were able to return to participate in a focus group for the present study. Themidwives were interviewed about their experiences of the workshop, in particular with regardto the workshop’s objectives. Participants were also asked about their motivation to attend theworkshop, the teaching strategies that were employed, and their own learning.The research findings indicate that the midwives found the training to be of value, and thatthey felt more confident to safely screen for family violence following the workshop.However, they felt that the content was limited due to the short length of the training.The authors note that the study had some limitations, for example, the small sample size, andthat the study only took place in Auckland. The article concludes with the recommendationsof extending workshop content to include more specific topics, and expanding the training toinclude pre- and post-training workshops.Besley, T. (2003). A risky business: A teenager’s dilemma in disclosing sexual abuse. New ZealandJournal of Counselling, 24(2), 11-24.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/12946.pubTopic Areas: Sexual abuse, Families, Adolescents, Pacific peoples, Care and protection,Legislation, Cultural factors, Social services, Prevention/intervention/treatment, CulturalpracticeAbstract: This article discusses the issues and ramifications for both the victim and theprofessional when disclosing sexual abuse. A case study of a teenage girl of Pacific Islanddescent divulging sexual abuse to a school counsellor is used to illustrate these factors. The16