Stronger Together: Strengthening family functioning to improve outcomes for children

Stronger Together draws on interviews with 30 mothers seeking reunification with their children and the community legal centre practitioners who assist and represent them. All of the mothers in this study had experienced domestic and family violence.

The research provides policy makers and practitioners with key insights into the systemic barriers to family reunification and supports needed to safely reunify mothers and children experiencing family violence.

The study shows how protective responses hold mothers responsible for child safety and wellbeing, while abusive fathers remain largely invisible.

The research was carried out by Women’s Legal Service Victoria in partnership with Dr Naomi Pfitzner and Associate Professor Silke Meyer from the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre.