annotated bibliography of new zealand research into family violence

family decision making that incorporates the process of Family Group Conferences (FGCs),which have fundamentally changed the way child welfare services operate in New Zealand.FGCs work on the principles of family decision making, power sharing, familyempowerment, and cultural relevancy, when addressing the safety of children in abuse andneglect cases. The importance of protecting the child within the context of the family isemphasised. Involving the family in care and protection decisions has been embracedinternationally, and this book examines child welfare developments in the United States, theUnited Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Case studies of situations of child abuse and neglectare employed to illustrate the phases of EPP, and the process of FGCs. The contribution ofMaori culture and customs to the context and process of FGCs is discussed. The role of theprofessional working with the family on care and protection issues is also examined.Consedine, J. (2003). The Maori restorative tradition. In G. Johnstone (Ed.), A restorative justicereader: Texts, sources, context (pp. 152-157). Cullompton, UK: Willan Publishing.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/13340.pubTopic Areas: Sexual abuse, Incest, Families, Women, Perpetrators/offenders, Maori,Restorative justice, Cultural factorsAbstract: This chapter examines the use of marae restorative justice by Maori in sexualabuse cases. Restoration, healing and reconciling are the principles of marae justice.Restorative justice places the blame for the offending on the perpetrator, and the shameexperienced by the offender is a strong punishment in Maori society. As opposed to Pakehamodels of criminal justice, marae justice is based on healing for the victim, thewhanau/family, and the perpetrator. Case studies are used to illustrate the process of maraerestorative justice, including an example of a Maori woman sexually abused by three of herbrothers, and another at the hands of her step-father. A preliminary evaluation shows themarae restorative justice process is working in lowering recidivism rates.Corbett, L. A. (1999). Child protection workers’ interactions with women abused by their malepartners: Five women’s stories. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Waikato,Hamilton, New Zealand.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/11916.pubTopic Areas: Intimate partner abuse, Families, Women, Children, Children as victims, Careand protection, Social services, Prevention/intervention/treatment, Cultural practiceAbstract: This research investigated women’s experiences with child protection workers.The analysis and methodology were guided by a feminist framework; in-depth interviewswere conducted with 5 women who had suffered abuse by their male partners. The researchfound that, as child protection workers may not acknowledge the presence of family violencein their cases, they may subsequently fail to understand the constraints that women experiencein their relationships with men. The study did not incorporate a formal Children, YoungPersons and their Families Service (CYPFS) perspective. Since its focus was CYPFSpractices, the author suggests that the study might be better utilised if the agency had more ofan input in terms of clarifying the procedures that the five women were describing.Source: Author’s abstractCoverdale, J. H. T., & Turbott, S. H. (2000). Sexual and physical abuse of chronically ill psychiatricoutpatients compared with a matched sample of medical outpatients. Journal of Nervous andMental Disease, 188(7), 440-445.36