Safety First: A Model for Understanding Domestic Violence in Child Custody and Access Disputes
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2004
Keywords
Child custody evaluation, domestic violence
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1300/J190v01n02_04
Abstract
A substantial percentage of contested child custody cases involve allegations of domestic violence. The impact on the psychological health and physical safety of the child exposed to domestic violence has only recently become a focus of the courts' and child custody evalu-ators' attention. Currently, the majority of state statutes include consideration of domestic violence in “best interests” child custody criteria. However, many of the statues do not provide the child custody evaluator the specific criteria to consider, especially if the domestic violence allegations have not been previously reported to authorities prior to the commencement of separation and divorce proceedings. This article presents the first three steps of the six-step Safety First Model, designed to assist the legal and psychological professions to focus on the priorities on the safety of children exposed to domestic violence.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Journal of Child Custody, v. 1, issue 2, p. 75-103
Scholar Commons Citation
Drodz, Leslie M.; Kuehnle, Kathryn; and Walker, Lenore E.A., "Safety First: A Model for Understanding Domestic Violence in Child Custody and Access Disputes" (2004). Mental Health Law & Policy Faculty Publications. 351.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/mhlp_facpub/351
