The MMFC fosters and conducts collaborative, action-oriented research projects on family violence. Research project findings are used to inform changes to service delivery and policy, and are the basis of education and training programs.
Conducting and supporting research projects in collaboration with personnel from various academic disciplines, government departments, and community organizations brings together diverse perspectives on the complexity of family violence.
The family court system presents many challenges for survivors of family violence. Many of the parties are self-represented, in need of protection, and dealing with multiple legal matters at once, such as child custody or protection orders, criminal court proceedings, landlord and tenant tribunals or immigration hearings.
The school system adds a further layer that can complicate the family court experience for survivors, along with the many interventions of social services agencies that work to address mental health, substance abuse, and trauma-related issues.
These overlapping processes create delays and confusion, further exhausting the emotional and financial resources of families. Moreover, research has shown that the disconnect between these legal systems can be a dangerous one for family violence survivors, distancing them from the supports and protections they need and putting them at greater risk of future violence.
Supporting the Health of Survivors of Family Violence is a project aimed at dismantling this “separate silos” approach to family violence. Funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada, the project creates five regional Communities of Practice (CoP) through the Alliance of Canadian Research Centres on Gender-based Violence.
Each CoP will bring together survivors, researchers, legal practitioners, health and social service providers and other key stakeholders in the family law and family violence sectors to foster cross-sector communication and collaboration, developing multi-disciplinary best practices and evidence-based policy to address pressing issues of health and safety for survivors of family violence in Canadian family court systems. Specifically, the CoP will work together to:
Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre Project Team Members
University Partner: Cathy Holtmann
Co-Investigator: Karla O’Regan
Project Manager: LA Henry
MMFC Representative:Joni Leger
Community of Practice for Atlantic Canada
The Community of Practice is comprised of people working with representatives from the legal profession, service consumers, and those who work with women and children who have experienced domestic violence, primarily from the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Research briefs
Issue No. 7. - Trauma-Informed Approaches to Family Violence in Family Law
EN | FR (September 2021)
Issue No. 13. - Family Law Mediation in Family Violence Cases: Basics and Best Practices
EN | FR (March 2022)
Issue No. 17. - Addressing Poverty and Family Violence in Family Law Proceedings
EN | FR (September 2022)
Issue No. 20. - Responding to Family Violence in Family Court: Challenges and Recommendations
EN | FR (March 2023)
Issue No. 25 - Failure to Protect: Social and Institutional Factors that Prevent Access to Justice in Family Violence/Family Law Cases. EN | FR (June 2023)
View all others briefs from project partners
Webinars hosted through MMFC
Changing Professional Obligations for Family Law Lawyers Under the New Provisions of the Divorce Act with Shelley Hounsell-Gray and Dr. Ilana Dodie Luther. May 10, 2023 | View the reconding | EN | FR
The Journey Project: Providing Trauma-Informed Legal Support to Survivors with Emma Duke
Nov. 30, 2022 | View the recording
Fleeing Family Violence: Challenges for Survivors Living in Rural, Remote & First Nation Communities with Christa Matthews, Dr. Mayme Lefurgey, Dr. Cathy Holtmann and Dr. Angela Wisniewski
Sept. 14, 2022 | View the Recording
The nexus of poverty and domestic violence in family law with Madame Justice Boudreau-Dumas, Chantal Landry and Lindsay Manuel (Family division of the New Brunswick Legal Aid Commission)
March 16, 2022 | View the recording
Mediation and family violence in family law
Oct. 20, 2021 | View the recording
Healing trauma: gender, trauma, and paths of healing in family law disputes
March 31, 2021 | View the recording
View all webinars from the project partners
Resources
Family Violence Law Website
The Muslim Family Safety Project is a partnership between the Arabic Cultural Centre of Fredericton, the Religion and Violence Research Team of the MMFC and the Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration. The aim of the project is to develop a culturally integrative approach to Muslim family safety by building bridges between Muslim and Arab families and family violence service providers.
