This report was commissioned by the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department in early 2009 to examine the impact of family violence, which had occurred before, during and or after parental relationship breakdown, on post-separation decision making and arrangements as viewed by children and parents.

More specifically the brief was to discover parents’ and children’s perspectives on:

1. The effect that a history of or existence of violence within the relationship has on the decisions that people make about accessing the courts and dispute resolution services

2. The effect that a history of or the existence of violence within the relationship has on the decisions people make while they are at court and at dispute resolution services

3. The effect that a history of or the existence of violence within the relationship has on post-separation parenting arrangements.

The project surveyed a broad sample of parents and children to examine how family violence has affected their access to courts and dispute resolution services, and post-separation parenting arrangements.