What is the best way to work with fathers who have a history of abusive behavior? This question is among the thorniest that social service and criminal justice professionals must deal with in their careers, and in this essential new work Jeffrey L. Edleson, Oliver J. Williams, and a group of international colleagues examine the host of equally difficult issues that surround it.
Beginning with the voices of mothers and fathers who speak about men's contact with and parenting of their children, the authors then examine court and mental health services perspectives on how much involvement violent men should have in their children's lives. The second half of the book showcases programs such as the Boston-based Fathering After Violence initiative and the Caring Dads program in Canada, which introduce non-abusive parenting concepts and skills to batterers and have developed useful guidelines for intervention with these fathers.
Visionary but also practical, Parenting by Men Who Batter distills the most relevant policy issues, research findings, and practice considerations for those who coordinate batterer programs or work with families, the courts, and the child welfare system. It guides professionals in understanding men who batter, assessing their parenting skills, making decisions about custody and visitation, and modeling treatment programs that engage fathers in their children's lives while maximizing safety.

The Third Edition of this comprehensive volume covers the current state of research, theory, prevention, and intervention regarding violence against women. The book's 15 chapters are divided into three parts: theoretical and methodological issues in researching violence against women; types of violence against women; and, new to this edition, programs that work. Featuring new chapters, pedagogy, sections on controversies in the field, and autobiographical essays by leaders in grassroots anti-violence work, the Third Edition has been designed to encourage discussion and debate, to address issues of diversity and cultural contexts, and to examine inequalities of race and ethnicity, social class, physical ability, sexual orientation, and geographic location.

In cases in which the left-behind fathers filed Hague Convention petitions to have their children returned, the study found that the mothers and children had often experienced severe violence from these men. The study also found that mothers were unable to access needed resources in their home countries, so their only recourse was to take their children and seek safety and support from family members living in the United States. Further, the study found that U.S. authorities and courts were not receptive to the safety concerns expressed by the mothers. Another key finding was that mothers and children faced great hardship after a Hague Convention decision; legal fees and representation were major barriers for women in responding to Hague Convention petitions. The study found that Hague Convention decisions have not taken into account two decades of research on child exposure to domestic violence when deciding on what constitutes grave risk for a child. The study concludes that safety for battered mothers and their children facing Hague petitions requires training for attorneys and judges on both domestic violence and the law that pertains to Hague Convention cases. For this study, researchers interviewed battered mothers around the world, their attorneys, and their husbands' attorneys. Published judicial decisions were examined in cases involving the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, with attention to those cases that involved allegations of domestic violence by one parent against the other. Twenty-two mothers who responded to Hague petitions in U.S. courts were interviewed.

An invaluable companion to the Sourcebook on Violence Against Women, Second Edition Designed to advance knowledge about violence against women and to serve as an inspiration to those studying or working in the field, this companion reader's 20 original articles focus first on theoretical and methodological issues, then on types of violence against women, and finally on prevention and direct intervention. Readers will find a wide range of articles that draw attention to the global dimensions of violence against women and the importance of taking into account political, economic, and cultural differences across diverse groups of people. While the book's articles are designed as companion pieces to the chapters in the Second Edition of the Sourcebook, this reader may also be used as a stand-alone text by those researching specific topics, such as diversity issues, conducting trainings, or teaching advanced courses, such as international social work.

The innovative character of the battered women's movement is evident in countries around the world. Providing an integrated and balanced view of the many facets of this international problem, Future Interventions with Battered Women and Their Families critically examines the progress made and assesses the strategies for the future. This much-needed volume addresses the surge of efforts in the battered women's movement while challenging the reader to reflect, assimilate, and take action. An outstanding group of experts from around the globe studies important features of the movement, including --the way in which different societies define the problem --global organizing efforts to end violence against women --innovative strategies to organize informal social networks --new interventions to assist victims/survivors, perpetrators, and their children --practice research that informs intervention Future Interventions with Battered Women and Their Families provides diverse perspectives and directions for the movement that will influence a wide range of professionals serving battered women and their families, including medical and mental health professionals, battered women's advocates, legal and law enforcement professionals, policymakers, and students in social work, psychology, counseling psychology, and women's studies.

"Canadian and American contributors to this book describe a wide range of programs offered to deal with the direct and indirect victims of men who batter. These include individual treatment options for children who witness the violence, parenting programs for men who batter, and prevention programs targeting high school students. For those involved in providing family services, the book is guaranteed to be both informative and thought-provoking." --John Hunsley in The Canadian Family Psychologist "There is a great deal to reflect upon in every section of the book. The chapters on assessment of children exposed to family violence, and on providing individual and group therapy for children of abused women, take up some very important issues. . . . This book is to be highly commended for its unequivocal espousal of the tenet that a child who witnesses the abuse of his or her mother is an abused child." --Chris Goddard in Child Abuse Review "This is an invaluable collection of papers that both raises awareness regarding the growing body of research that indicates the negative psychological effects domestic violence has on children even if they themselves are not the target of the violence, as well as offering practical suggestions for clinicians. It is a useful resource book for anyone working with the issue of family violence." --G. Smith in European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Although there is a growing body of research on children of battered women, there has been little practical information available on intervention with these children. Ending the Cycle of Violence is the first volume to cover the varied and complex arena of intervention with children of battered women. It provides an overview of current practices including strategies and program models. The expert contributors present a concise and accessible look into four major areas: living in a violent culture, shelters and domestic violence counseling, child protection services and the criminal justice system, and prevention and education in schools and communities. Practitioners who work with battered women and their children--shelter and domestic violence program staff, battered women's advocates, and counselors--will find this book most useful. It will also be helpful to all professionals working with children in schools, child protective services, youth programs, health and mental health agencies, institutions, group homes, and foster care settings. Ending the Cycle of Violence also provides and overview of innovations in this field that can enhance policymakers' ability to further develop services for this at-risk population.