We are all familiar with the tactic of financial abuse during a relationship. This abuse can continue and take on new forms after separation.
One of those new forms is identity theft, in which the abusive partner steals his partner’s identity and uses it to run up debt or engage in illegal or otherwise problematic activities.
Our two new safety resources on Family Court and Beyond will be helpful for women who are leaving home to escape an abusive partner or trying to keep safe in their family home once the abusive partner no longer lives there.
Protecting your address lists tips on how keep a new home address private,
This FAQ builds on work done by others: a paper written by Julie Shaw and a published paper written by Sandra M. Stith and Eric E. McCollum.
There are different opinions about whether or not it is appropriate for a couple to engage in co-counselling, or conjoint counselling,
Before a woman signs any kind of agreement related to her family law issues, she should obtain independent legal advice (ILA). This means she needs to meet with her own lawyer to review whatever the agreement may be.
Common agreements where ILA is needed include:
Cohabitation agreements
Marriage contracts
Separation agreements
Minutes of settlements
Mediation agreements
Any agreement entered into with child protection authorities
The purpose
The purpose of ILA is to ensure that that the person signing an agreement prepared by another party understands its contents fully,
The problem
When a woman leaves an abusive relationship, family court outcomes can play a key role in improving the safety and quality of her life and that of her children.
However, the family law system can also increase risk with — as examples — processes that allow abusive individuals to manipulate the system or confront the woman or court decisions that require ongoing contact between the ex-partners.
This is the third in a 3-part series on women’s financial rights and responsibilities when a relationship ends. Part 1 looked at property division and Part 2 covered determining the date of separation.
Whether you are married or living common-law with your partner,
This is the second in a 3-part series on women’s financial rights and responsibilities when a relationship ends. Part 1 looks at property division and Part 3 discusses spousal support.
Determining the date of separation is not always easy.
Some couples remain under the same roof and move in and out of various levels of intimacy over a period of months or even years.
This is the first in a 3-part series on women’s financial rights and responsibilities when a relationship ends. Part 2 looks at determining the date of separation and Part 3 discusses spousal support.
Historically, men have tended to manage the family’s money and make the big financial decisions about things like buying a house or a car.
We have explored a number of issues related to this question in other postings (See: The role of VAW in custody and access cases and What’s the best interests of the child test?), but we have not examined specifically the impact on children of being exposed to their mother being abused.
Your role as a woman’s advocate will require you to engage in safety planning with the women you support. Safety planning is, in some ways, the other side of risk assessment: the more information you have about the women’s risk, the better you and she can plan for her safety. But effective safety planning means more than risk assessment,
