The original project conducted was the first state-wide in-depth retrospective study to be carried out in Australia in 2011, the Victorian Filicide Study. It covered all filicide deaths of children in Victoria from 2000 to 2009 inclusive. Some 52 children were killed during that period according to the data held by the Victorian Coroner’s Office, which cooperated with the Monash Deakin team on the project. The study, reported in an article published in Child Abuse Review UK in March 2014, together with conference presentations showed that the events could be characterised, for intervention purposes, in relation to the relationship of the perpetrator with the victim. Namely mother, father, or step-father perpetrated filicide events.
Personal factors around mental illness, parental separation, domestic violence, substance abuse, and past child abuse were found to be present but they varied in their constellation according to perpetrator type. Perpetrators had been in touch with services but a successful preventive engagement had not occurred. Further work continues using this data.
In 2016, the Monash Deakin Filicide Research and Education team commenced the National Filicide Study that was carried out in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC). That project covered all filicide deaths between 2000 and 2012. These deaths were reported to the National Homicide Monitoring Data Base held by AIC. The project investigated whether or not the conclusions of the Victorian study held true for the other states taken individually and together. The team hope that the results of this study will lead to new recommendations for prevention.
Our most recent publication is entitled When Parents Kill Children: Understanding Filicide (2018) with Palgrave Macmillan. This edited collection presents empirical research from countries around the world.
This book recognises that the picture of filicide internationally is incomplete. The wide-range of contributions presented here represent but a glimpse into this picture that sometimes adopts a narrow focus on incidence, or a particular category of victim, or that pays close attention to the details about filicide events, the circumstances in which they occur and what should be done to prevent filicide in the future. Whether the focus is on quantifying the data, identifying key patterns and trends, the contributions in this collection add further depth and detail that only serves to broaden our understanding about filicides in general. We hope readers will find the contributions to be a useful addition to the disparate but rapidly growing literature on filicide and prompt further debate and discussion about how we can intervene earlier to support vulnerable family members and better prevent these tragic events.
You can also read a review of our book done by Janice Sim.
[T]he book’s exposition of international data makes this collection unique and indispensable to academics, researchers, practitioners and policy-makers in the areas of child protection, homicide (or filicide) studies, law, criminology, social welfare, mental health, critical and social theories.
Janice Sim
Achievements
The Hub has published one book, edited two editions of peer review journals, published four articles in peer review journals, two reports, and presented conference papers. These are as follows:
Books
Brown, T., Tyson, D., Fernandez Arias, P. (2018). Why Parents Kill Their Children: Understanding
Filicide, Palgrave MacMillan, UK, February 2018
Edited journal edition
Brown, T., Tyson, D., Fernandez Arias, P. (2014). (ed.) Child Abuse Review, UK, Special Themed Issue on Filicide, March/April, Vol, 23, Issue 2
Articles in Journals
Brown, T., Lyneham, S., Bryant, W., F Tomison, A., Tyson, D., Fernandez Arias, P. and Bricknell, S. (2019). Filicide Offenders, Trends and Issues, No 568, February, 2019, Australian Government and Australian Institute of Criminolgy
Brown, T., Tyson, D. (2014) Filicide: Recasting Research and Intervention (editorial), Child Abuse Review, UK, Special Themed Issue on Filicide, March/April, Vol, 23, Issue 2, pp 75-78
Brown, T., Tyson, D., Fernandez Arias, P. (2014). Filicide and Parental Separation and Divorce, Child Abuse Review, UK, Special Themed Issue on Filicide, March/April, Vol, 23, Issue 2, pp 79-88
Brown, T., Tyson, D. And Fernandez Arias, P. (2012). An Abominable Crime: Filicide in the Context of Parental Separation and Divorce, Children Australia, Vol 37, Number 4, December, pp 151-160
Reports
Brown, T., Lyneham, S., Bryant, W., F Tomison, A., Tyson, D., Fernandez Arias, P. and Bricknell, S. (2019). Filicide In Australia: A National Study, AIC Report Series, Australian Government, Australian Institute of Criminology, presented in March 2017, released January, 2019
Conference papers
Brown, T., Tyson, D., Fernandez Arias, P. (2018) Filicide in Australia: What we have done; what we have learned; what we should do, a paper presented at AIFS biennial Conference Melbourne, July
Brown, T., Tyson, D., Fernandez Arias, P. (2017) Filicide in Australia, and Case Intervention to Prevent Filicide, papers presented to Addressing Filicide, International Conference, 13 and 14 June, Prato, Italy
Brown, T., Tyson, D., Fernandez Arias, P. (2016) A National Study on Filicide: Knowledge Bridges to Intervention, a paper presented at AIFS biennial Conference Melbourne, May
Brown, T. (2016). Engaging with Perpetrators of Family Violence, Victorian Family Law Pathways Network Forum, Family Court of Australia, Melbourne, April, 2016
Brown, T., Tyson, D., Fernandez Arias, P. (2016). Methodological Issues in the design of the National Filicide Study, Addressing Filicide 2nd International Conference, Prato, Italy, 5-6th June, 2015
Brown, T., Tyson, D., Fernandez Arias, P. (2014). Filicide Research, Child Aware Approaches Conference, Melbourne, 31 March to 1st April
Brown, T., and Tyson, D. (2014). Filicide Research: Improving Intervention, Invited Keynote Paper, Criminal Violence Conference, Griffith University, Brisbane, 25th March, 2014
Brown, T., Tyson, D., and Fernandez Arias, P. (2013). Filicide and Parental Separation Services, National Seminar, Family Court of Australia, Video-Linked from Dandenong, VIC
Brown, T., Tyson, D., and Fernandez Arias, P. (2013). Filicide in Australia, Addressing Filicide, The First International Conference, Prato, Italy, 30th – 31st May
Brown, T., and Tyson, D. (2011). Filicide in the Context of Parental Separation and Divorce, Family Relationships Services Association of Australia, Surfers Paradise, QLD, 9th November, 2011
Brown, T. And Tyson, D. (2011). Filicide in the Context of Parental Separation and Divorce, ANZSOC Criminology Conference, Geelong, VIC, 30th September, 2011
Brown, T. And Tyson, D. (2011). Filicide in the Context of Parental Separation and Divorce, an invited Keynote paper, Family Court of Australia Conference, Melbourne, 9th May
Brown, T. (2011). Child Abuse, Domestic Violence and Family Law, Sole Speaker, Family Law Pathways Network Conference, Albury Wodonga, 18th April.