Attachment Theory and the Family Violence Reforms

ehaviour is unacceptable, including physical and emotional abuse and theexposure of children to family violence• better targeting what a court can consider in relation to family violence orders aspart of considering a child’s best interests• requiring family consultants, family counsellors, family dispute resolutionpractitioners and legal practitioners, when advising clients, to encourage them toprioritise the safety of children• improving reporting requirements for family violence and abuse, ensuring thecourts have better access to evidence, and• making it easier for state and territory child protection authorities to participate infamily law proceedings.Viewing the 2006 reforms from an attachment perspectiveI now want to consider both sets of laws from the perspective of attachment theory,commencing with the shared parenting reforms of 2006. My starting point is to ask thequestion “What features of the shared parenting reforms might be considered to beconsistent with the principles that underlie attachment theory?”First, it could be said that section 60CC(2)(a), which is couched in terms of the benefit tothe child of having a meaningful relationship with both parents, is consonant withattachment theory in the sense that the inquiry is qualitative, nuanced and child-focused.On the face of the language used in the statute at least, the section is directed not towardsparental rights or the amount of time a child should spend with both parents but to thenature and quality of the relationship the child has with both parents and what12