Coping with Family Violence: Research and Policy Perspectives Book

Whereas ten years ago debate in the field of family violence tended to describe its nature and extent, the current research presented in this volume focuses on evaluation of social response, marking the rapid expansion in concern over family violence and the increasing sophistication of a society taking it more seriously and trying to deal effectively with it. Coping with Family Violence is based upon the beliefs that research and policy should constantly inform one another and that there is a continuing need for high level interdependence and cooperation between researcher and practitioners. Contributors address the question of definition and the reasons victims may have for failing to take available help. Specific sections then study some social responses to the problems of family violence including the growth of shelters and batterers programs, the changing response of the criminal justice system, and the resistance of the medical system. The challenges confronting protective services and the effectiveness of child protection and foster care programs are discussed. Finally, the volume turns to the area of prevention, focusing on the need for this to be a more central task in family violence.Read More