The Foundation for Alcohol Research for Education (FARE) provided a submission with comments to the National Children’s Commissioner for the development of the 2015 Children’s Rights Report.
In this document, FARE has addressed each of the following proposed questions with a focus on the role and impact of alcohol in family violence:
- What are the impacts on children of family and domestic violence?
- What are the outcomes for children engaging with services, programs and support?
- What are the outcomes for children of public policy approaches and educational campaigns targeting family and domestic violence?
- What are the surveillance and data gaps/needs in relation to children affected by family and domestic violence?
- What are the issues in relation to defining family and domestic violence and the impacts it has on children?
- What do we know about the prevalence and incidence of family and domestic violence affecting children, including who is involved in family and domestic violence events?
Recommendations
The role of alcohol is an important consideration when formulating policies to reduce the impacts of family violence on children, including the effects of alcohol on children prior to birth. FARE therefore urges the National Children’s Commissioner to consider FARE’s National framework for action to prevent alcohol-related family violence as well as FARE’s Australian Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Action Plan in the development of the 2015 Children’s Rights Report.