Adolescent violence towards parents—Prevalence and characteristics using Australian Police Data

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Moulds ◽  
Andrew Day ◽  
Richelle Mayshak ◽  
Helen Mildred ◽  
Peter Miller

Adolescent violence toward parents is a unique form of family violence which for many, including police personnel, challenges traditional views of parent–child relationship, and raises questions about victimization. There has been minimal research in Australia to date in this area, and knowledge about both prevalence rates and the characteristics of offenders and victims remains limited. This exploratory study utilized police data from four Australian States to document prevalence rates of reported offenses to police, and the characteristics of adolescent violence toward parents in Australia. Between 1% and 7% of family violence reported to the police is adolescent violence toward parents. The “typical” perpetrator is a 15- to 17-year-old Caucasian young man who is generally violent toward his mother. Findings are limited by the differing police practice and policy variations between States, including the use of police discretion, leaving several questions open for further investigation. In conclusion, there is a need for change in policy and practice with regards how best to assess and respond to adolescent violence toward parents.

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-42
Author(s):  
Andrea Mulligan

Abstract Gestational surrogacy presents a unique form of parenthood: that which is biological but not genetic. This new form of parenthood demands a re-examination of the rights and duties that arise from the parent–child relationship. This article is concerned with the surrogate-born person’s right to know his or her gestational surrogate, an aspect of the right to identity. The springboard for this analysis is draft legislation in Ireland that proposes the creation of a legal right to trace one’s gestational surrogate. The purpose of this article is to interrogate the normative underpinnings of the legal right to know one’s gestational surrogate, exploring whether instrumental or deontological/rights-based justifications provide a better theoretical basis for the creation of a legal right. The article begins by exploring the link between the gestational relationship and identity formation, drawing on current scholarship on the metaphysics and physiology of pregnancy. It goes on to consider instrumental justifications for the creation of a legal right to know one’s surrogate, but argues that deontological or rights-based justifications provide the more compelling basis for creation of the legal right. The article concludes that this applies to all legal regimes that would seek to establish a legal right to know one’s surrogate, and is especially apt in the case of the draft Irish legislation, due to the requirement of mandatory disclosure.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 935-947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Calvete ◽  
Izaskun Orue ◽  
Manuel Gámez-Guadix ◽  
Joana del Hoyo-Bilbao ◽  
Elena López de Arroyabe

The aim of this study was to identify the role of exposure to family violence and parental discipline in the development of child-to-parent violence (CPV). A qualitative in-depth interview design was used. Fifteen adolescents (10 boys) who have perpetrated CPV (Mage = 16 years; SDage = 1.33 years) and their parents or foster parents took part in the study. Individually, they answered questions about exposure to violence and parenting practices. Results suggest that adolescents were frequently direct victims and also witnesses of violence. Furthermore, emotional neglect in the parent–child relationship was frequent and families were characterized by rules that are not consistently implemented. Different forms of violence seem to coexist in these families, and CPV should also be a target in the interventions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 153-171
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Singer ◽  
David Brodzinsky

When children are removed from their birth parents and placed in foster care, child welfare policy and practice prioritizes family reunification in permanency planning. Of the many services offered to families in support of reunification, parent-child visitation is one of the most important. The purposes of visitation are to maintain and support the parent-child relationship, facilitate improved parenting skills, and offer social workers opportunities to gauge the family’s progress in meeting reunification goals. Whether supervised or unsupervised, parent-child visitations most often involve face-to-face contact between family members. During periods of sheltering in place in response to COVID-19, however, face-to-face visits have been largely curtailed. In their place, child welfare agencies have begun using virtual visitation through various technology platforms such as smartphones, FaceTime, Zoom, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Skype, often facilitated by foster parents. A number of questions have arisen, however, about the effectiveness of virtual visitations and how best to use them as a means of supporting reunification goals. In the present article, we examine existing data on how children respond to virtual communication with parents and extended family and what practical issues and training needs are encountered when implementing virtual visits in juvenile dependency cases.


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