Dr Abi Sheed1,2, Dr Maddison Riachi1,2, Professor Troy McEwan1, Dr Melanie Simmons1, Dr Lisa Forrester2, Distinguished Professor James Ogloff1
1Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia, 2Court Services Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
Biography:
Dr Abigail Sheed is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, with affiliations to Swinburne University’s Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science, Victorian Children’s Court Clinic, and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health (Forensicare). Her research centres on the topics of youth antisocial behaviour, family violence, child maltreatment, and risk assessment. She has particular research and clinical interests in understanding, assessing and treating child and youth problem behaviour – including violent, sexual, and general criminal behaviour – and the application of research to policy and practice.
There is currently a lack of clinical or academic guidance regarding the assessment of child-to-parent abuse in clinical or justice settings. Drawing on the youth, violence, and risk assessment literatures, this presentation outlines proposed guidelines for assessing the function of child-to-parent abuse behaviours, and future family violence risk. In particular, the applicability of Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) principles, structured professional judgement, and functional analysis will be considered within a developmental context to provide a proposed structure for clinical and forensic assessment of child-to-parent abuse, and other adolescent family violence behaviours.