Domestic violence, working with men, research practice experiences and integrated responses by Andrew Day, Patrick O'Leary, Donna Chung and Donna Justo, The Federation Press, Sydney, 2009. 300pp. ISBN 978-186287-7283 (Pbk)

✍ Scribed by Emma Feesey

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 36 KB
• Volume: 21
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0952-9136
• DOI: 10.1002/car.1145

✦ Synopsis

Given that the existence of the book itself demonstrates good practice in terms of an integrated response between criminal justice, community-based services and academia, I am almost tempted to recommend that every practitioner, researcher and student in this field go out and buy it on that basis. However, there are some aspects of the book that narrow its usefulness to a potential audience.

The book is organised into five separate sections: Context, System Responses, Broader Practice Approaches, Research and Commentary. If you were going to read this book in its entirety I would actually suggest reading it from back to front, to ensure a grounding in theory, prior to engaging with the procedural and ideological aspects of the Gold Coast project. The three chapters of the final Commentary section in particular are excellent, providing information about the current research status, dilemmas and direction of the various interventions currently being used in domestic abuse work with men. I would recommend this part of the book to anyone with an interest in either up-dating their understanding or looking for an accessible academic introduction to the subject.

With regard to the rest of the book, the first section, Context, is rather light on research evidence, although the third chapter, What is in it for the Women, introduces interesting and important ideological argument and debate which illustrate many of the complexities of this area of work. However, for those readers new to this area of work, it would have been helpful to have a more detailed introduction to the Duluth model used in the Gold Coast project. This method of working with 'men who batter' was developed in Minnesota in the late 1980s and has since been used extensively in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. The model is designed as an education programme and is based on feminist principles. It has been intensively researched over the years and is well respected, but not without its critics. Some of the chapters in the Broader Practice Approaches are also light on research evidence, particularly when arguing for new directions in practice. For example, whilst I found Toby Fletcher's analysis and conclusions lively, his analysis is based on research whilst his conclusions are a personal view of possibilities. The