Dr Katie Lamb

Graduated in 2017

Project Description

Family violence is a significant issue facing a large number of Australian families. For many children and young people, the impact of family violence on their lives is both serious and enduring. While research is now available to provide insights into children and young people’s experiences of family violence, we know less about their perspectives on their relationship with their fathers. The literature suggests that fatherhood is often used as a motivator to engage fathers in programs to address their violence, yet the content of programs may not always support improved parenting or relationships with children. Further, children and young people are often not told their father is attending a program. When children do know fathers are participating in a program they are seldom involved in any way or given information about what their father is learning at the program. Evaluations of programs for fathers who use violence, rarely consider outcomes for children as a measure of success. In order to address these gaps, the aim of this research was to gain children and young people’s perspectives on fathers in the context of family violence as well as the key messages they have for fathers who attend a program to address his violence. The thesis also trials the use of digital storytelling to embed these key messages in programs and explores what the likely impacts are on programs for fathers who use violence and their participants. A qualitative research method was used and was underpinned by a constructionist epistemology, the new sociology of childhood and a feminist understanding of family violence.

Supervisor

Professor Cathy Humphreys, Department of Social Work