Family violence may be experienced at any stage of the lifespan; however, these experiences are often understood differently based on the age of the victim and who perpetrates the abuse. The significance of age is evident in the three categories of child abuse, domestic and family violence (DFV), and elder abuse. Each of these categories has its own definition which determines who is considered a victim or a perpetrator, and the behaviors counted as violent and abusive. These definitions influence how practitioners view victim-survivors' experiences of violence, and the subsequent available responses. This article reports the findings of a scoping review of international literature published between 2011 and 2021, which explored how family violence is categorized and defined. The review was conducted as part of a larger study exploring how violence against women in intimate and family contexts is conceptualized and experienced, as well as the available responses. Forty-eight articles were included in the final review, and five categories of violence in family and intimate contexts were identified. These were child abuse, DFV, elder abuse, adolescent-to-parent violence, and sibling abuse. Comparison of definitions across categories found similarities in terms of the relationship between victim and perpetrator, behavior, intention, and harm caused to the victim. Review findings suggest that definitions of various forms of family violence do not differ greatly. Further research is needed to determine whether responses to family violence across the lifespan can and should be streamlined.

Advocates play an important role in supporting vulnerable individuals or groups who are marginalised in the society, including older people, to have their voices heard and uphold their rights. The aim of this scoping review was to identify the skills, core competencies, and training required to work effectively as a professional aged care advocate. The review identified a range of skills, competencies, professional development and training opportunities, and areas of knowledge required for effective advocacy. The findings revealed that no universally accepted set of competencies currently exists to guide advocacy practice, and there is limited training targeted specifically at advocates working with older people. This is particularly relevant considering the continuing growth of the world's ageing population. In addition, the review identified 37 advocacy competencies, which may provide a starting point for developing a set of competencies to inform the practices of professional advocates.

The abuse and mistreatment of older people, or elder abuse, is estimated to affect up to 15.7 percent of community-dwelling older people in high- and middle-income countries and is more often than not perpetrated by a family member. However, true prevalence rates are likely to be higher, as older adults tend to under-report instances of interpersonal violence, especially when perpetrated by family members. There are many factors that amplify an older person’s risk of abuse, including gender, physical and cognitive impairments, past trauma, shared living situations, carer stress, social isolation, language barriers and ageism. Building upon criminological theories and the crime triangle, this chapter explores how older people living in rural and remote areas could be potentially vulnerable due to a lack of protective mechanisms exacerbated by social and geographic isolation and difficulties accessing support and legal services. Incorporating data collected within several studies in the Australian context, this chapter canvasses the distinctive nature of elder abuse in rural, regional and remote locations, also acknowledging the different experiences of older Indigenous people.

Written protocols may guide staff responses to elder abuse. Their effectiveness is unclear, as protocols are generally unevaluated. This project aimed to review, evaluate, and update the Alliance for the Prevention of Elder Abuse: Western Australia's 2013 Protocol. A critical literature review identified key features of elder abuse protocols. Three focus groups (N = 19), and an online survey (N = 44) examined the usefulness and effectiveness of the 2013 Protocol and identified improvements. Seventy percent of survey respondents (n = 31) were familiar with the Protocol; all found it useful. Suggested updates included: example policies and resources; screening tools, signs, indicators, and guided risk assessment; further direction and training for front-line workers; and information about issues for diverse and vulnerable groups. An updated Protocol was developed and will be supported by stakeholder education. Ongoing maintenance is required in a changing service context, and future versions could be online and include features to support responses.

OBJECTIVE:To identify national and international research and literature focussed on policy responses to elder abuse in rural and remote communities to generate recommendations for Australian responses. DESIGN:Scoping literature review. SETTING:Australia (some international policy also included). PARTICIPANTS:National and international elder abuse policy documents relating to rural and remote responses were reviewed. Seventy-two stakeholders were invited to contribute literature that may have been missed in the scoping review. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S):Identification of the extent to which issues for rural and remote communities were discussed in elder abuse policy. RESULT:Of the 13 Australian policy documents reviewed, only four made mention of rural and remote communities, though this was generally only in regard to increase in vulnerability. No mention of these communities were identified in reviewed global policy. One document focussing on abuse in rural and remote Indigenous communities highlighted the importance of developing culturally appropriate responses hinged on community collaboration and consultation. CONCLUSION:Consideration of rural and remote communities in elder abuse policy is generally not meaningful. It is recommended that future policy development includes recognition of the distinct features of elder abuse in rural and remote communities, as well as how these features may impact on prevention and responses in these locations. These features include geographical isolation, lack of access to services and transportation, confidentiality and privacy issues, and the need for culturally sensitive approaches to address elder abuse for Indigenous people which take into account the impact of historical disenfranchisement.

Economic abuse as a form of men's violence against women has only been recently recognized as a form of violence in its own right. It is known to further exacerbate the detrimental long-term impacts of domestic and family violence on women and children. There is evidence to suggest the effectiveness of financial literacy programs in mitigating some of these impacts and improving women's financial well-being in the longer term; however, there are very few domestic violence-informed, empirically evaluated programs internationally. This article reports the findings of a specialist domestic violence financial literacy curriculum, which was developed and piloted in Western Australia using pre-post measures and focus groups. These findings suggest that such financial literacy programs delivered in refuge settings have effective short-term outcomes among women. Lessons learned from the pilot and the implications for future implementation and scaling up of programs and research are also discussed.

This article reports the findings of an international scoping literature review focussed on social policy, prevention, and service responses to elder abuse in rural and remote communities. Forty-seven articles were included in the review, and fourteen types of prevention or service responses were identified in the literature, including several Indigenous-specific initiatives. The review highlighted the need for meaningful inclusion of rural and remote communities in elder abuse policy, as well as the importance of community consultation and consideration of the local context in developing prevention and response initiatives for these communities.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe early childhood special education service providers' perceptions of the use of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) in their preschool classrooms as a result of participation in MELD (Multimodal Early Language Development) AAC professional development. MELD is a multicounty project that provides professional development to support service providers to meet the needs of preschool children with complex communication needs. Results indicate, in general, that the service providers felt the professional development met their individual needs to be successful in embedding the use of AAC in each of their preschool special education classrooms. The study extends past research about the components needed in effective early childhood professional development that results in teacher implementation of new instructional strategies to include the use of AAC strategies and adds new information about the context that may be needed. That context includes a positive and supportive relationship between coaches and service providers and a recognition of positive changes in the behavior of children by service providers. Implications for providing professional development and for future research are discussed.