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Child Abuse—Child custody—articles

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Child Custody and Visitation Decisions in Domestic Violence Cases: Legal Trends, Research Findings, and Recommendations

added 10/18/1998
Daniel G. Saunders for VAWnet

A surprising number of battered women lose custody of their children to their abusive partners. This document describes some of the legal and cultural trends surrounding custody and visitation decisions and the social science evidence supporting a need to consider domestic violence in these decisions.

Other formats: pdf

Custodians of Abuse

added 09/19/2006
Kristen Lombardi

This article addresses the likely and realistic outcome regarding custodial care decisions during divorce battles. It would seem aparent that the parent responsible for inflicting abuse upon their child is often the one to receive unsupervised visitation rights and often even full legal custody as well.

Model Protocol for Advocates Working with Battered Women Involved in the Child Protection System (pdf)

added 05/10/2005
Lupita Patterson

This protocol includes policy and practice recommendations for advocates who work with battered women involved in the child protection system.

Second Comprehensive Study of Missing Children

added 04/25/2000
Louise Hanson

A 6-page Bulletin posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The design of the National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children (NISMART 2) study is described in this Bulletin, which outlines how it will provide vital data on the incidence of missing children in seven categories: runaway/thrownaway, nonfamily abduction, family abduction, custodial interference, lost and involuntarily missing, missing due to injury, missing due to false alarm situations, as well as children who have been sexually assaulted.

The Troubling Admission of Supervised Visitation Records in Custody Proceedings

added 02/06/2003
Nat Stern and Karen Oehme

This document, originally published in Vol. 75, No.2 of the Temple Law Review, explores the purpose of supervised visitation programs and the legal community's call for their development. At the core of this document is an examination of the standards and guidelines of these programs, as well as the issues surrounding the use and admissibility of observation reports used by these programs.

Other formats: plaintext • pdf

Violence Against Women Document Library

added 05/09/2007
Violence Against Women Online Resources

A huge variety of information and resources are categorized by topics relating to children and domestic violence, including information about advocacy, child custody and protection, and criminal justice responses.

When Children Experience Domestic Violence: Expert Opinion

added 04/30/2008
National Coalition for Child Protection Reform

This document includes a summary of a ruling made by a New York Judge to stop removing children from battered women because children of such women are exposed to domestic violence.