HELP Toolkit: Identifying and Responding to Family Violence for Family Law Legal Advisers

• Previous Page
• Next Page

Table of Contents

• Acknowledgements
• HELP Toolkit Overview
  • Why family violence is relevant to your family law case
  • Clients may be reluctant to disclose family violence
  • Client trauma can affect the family law case
  • Purpose of the toolkit
  • Contents of the toolkit
  • How to use the toolkit
  • What is “family violence”?
  • Notes about terminology

HELP Guide

• HELP Approach
• HELP Checklist
• HELP Guide – How to Have a Discussion about Family Violence
  • Tips for safe and effective discussions
  • “H”: Have an initial discussion about family violence
    • H.1 If your client discloses family violence at the outset
    • H.2 If not, how to start: Ask general questions about the family relationships
    • H.3 If you become aware of potential indicators of family violence
    • H.4 Asking directly about family violence
    • H.5 When family violence is suspected but not disclosed
    • H.6 Responding to a disclosure
  • “E”: Explore immediate risks and safety concerns
    • E.1 Be attuned to factors that can indicate increased risk for continued violence or lethal violence
    • E.2 Ask about risk and safety
    • E.3 Address immediate danger
    • E.4 Making referrals
    • E.5 If your client goes back to their ex-partner
  • “L”: Learn more about the family violence to help you determine what to recommend to your client
  • “P”: Promote safety throughout the family law case
    • P.1 Check in with clients about safety and family violence
    • P.2 Risks relating to the family law process
    • P.3 Safety planning for you and your office staff
    • P.4 Taking Care of Yourself

Legal Response Guide

• Legal Response Guide
  • LR.1 Dealing with family violence in the family law case
    • LR.1.1 Interim arrangements
    • LR.1.2 Parenting arrangements
    • LR.1.3 Protection/restraining orders
    • LR.1.4 Exclusive possession of the family home
    • LR.1.5 Child support and spousal support
    • LR.1.6 Preservation orders
    • LR.1.7 Other orders
  • LR.2 Other considerations for the family law file
    • LR.2.1 Family dispute resolution
    • LR.2.2 Litigation abuse
    • LR.2.3 If an abuser is self-represented
    • LR.2.4 Evidence in the family law process
  • LR.3 Criminal law responses to family violence
  • LR.4 Concurrent court proceedings
    • LR.4.1 Concurrent criminal law proceedings
    • LR.4.2 Concurrent child protection proceedings

Supplemental Materials

• Tab #1: Reasons Why Your Client Might Not Disclose Experiences of Family Violence
• Tab #2: The Impacts of Trauma and Trauma- and Violence-Informed Practice
• Tab #3: Types of Intimate Partner Violence
• Tab #4: Representing a Client Who May Have Engaged in Family Violence
• Tab #5: Children’s Experiences of Family Violence
• Tab #6: Tips for Discussions with Your Client
• Tab #7: How to Incorporate Cultural Safety into Client Interactions
• Tab #8: Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence
• Tab #9: Asking about Specific Forms of Family Violence
• Tab #10: Safety Planning
• Tab #11: What Clients Need to Know about Contacting the Police
• Tab #12: Making Referrals
• Tab #13: When Your Family Law Client Is Accused of Family Violence and There Are Concurrent Criminal Proceedings
• Tab #14: Talking to a Child Client about Family Violence
• Tab #15: Rejection of a Parent by a Child
• Tab #16: When Your Family Law Client Is the Victim of Family Violence and There Are Concurrent Criminal Proceedings

• Endnotes
• Previous Page
• Next Page