Topics

Families and the law

• Is it Legal? A Family's Guide to the Law 4th edition: July 2011, Family and Parenting Institute. When can children work by law, or go to the doctor alone? What does the law say about term time holidays? The laws affecting children and families are numerous and can be confusing. This guide offers clarification of the law for families and all those who work with them. It includes a fully updated Helpfile, a full list of sources of further information on all the main areas affecting families.

Speeches from Attorney-General Robert McClelland

• Opening of Legal Aid Queensland and Western Queensland Justice Network, 29 September 2009
• Address to the National Indigenous Legal Conference, 24 September 2009
• Address to the National Association of Community Legal Centres Conference: 'Inclusive Justive - CLCs in Action', 17 September 2009
• ANU Law Students Society: Social Justice Dinner, 26 August 2009
• Family Violence in Focus Conference, 21 August 2009
• Remarks at the Family Court of Australia Annual Judges' meeting, 6 March 2009
• Opening address Inaugural Family Law System Conference, 19 February 2009

Inaugural Family Law System Conference 2009

• Conference proceedings

National Child Protection Framework

• Protecting Children is Everyone's Business: National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2009-2020, FaHCSIA 2009  
• Australia's children: safe and well, a national framework for protecting Australia's children discussion paper
• National leadership, local initiative - turning the curve on child safety and wellbeing, 3 July 2008, FRSA responds to the Australian Government national framework discussion paper
• Governance arrangements on framework implementation, non-government organisation groups

Family law practice

• Australian Collaborative Practice Guidelines for Lawyers (2011) - Law Council of Australia. The Collaborative Practice Guidelines were developed by the Law Council of Australia and its Collaborative Practice Committee, whose membership includes legal practitioners, academics and collaborative professionals throughout Australia.

Evaluation of the family law reforms

• Evaluation of the family laws reforms, Australian Institute of Family Studies. Undertaken on behalf of the Australian Government since 2007 this evaluation looks at the introduction of Family Relationship Centres and the Family Relationship Advice Line, and changes to the law. This resource places the evaluation in context of other concurrent research / enquiries, answers some frequently asked questions and provides useful links to the various studies currently underway.
• Family Courts Violence Review, by Professor Richard Chisholm, November 2009. This review aims to ‘assess the appropriateness of the legislation, practices and procedures’ of the Family Court and in particular to consider whether the practices and procedures of the courts encourage victims to disclose family violence and support ‘best practice’, whether appropriate support is provided for families who have experienced violence, and whether information disclosed by litigants is appropriately shared within the courts.
• What about me? Self care for workers in the family law context (2011) Rebecca Eberle, Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS). The Albury-Wodonga Family Law Pathways Network  conducted a one-day conference in mid-2010 that explored issues of worker burnout, stress and vicarious trauma in the family law context. This report gives a brief insight into the day.