SAGE Series on Violence against Women
"This book beautifully educates the reader on the world in which batterers live and raise their children. Judges, lawyers, and others in decision-making roles will find this information very helpful in crafting appropriate decisions regarding a child’s safe contact with a battering parent."
— Judge Bobbi Alpers, Iowa District Court
"Excellent. I’ve been waiting for this book. It is a crisp, cogent, comprehensive exegesis on batterers, their parenting styles, their custody litigation practices, and the adverse impact of their violence on battered mothers and their children. A must read for attorneys, advocates, custody evaluators, judges, and batterer intervention service providers."
— Barbara Hart, J.D., Legal Director, Battered Women’s Justice Project/Civil Division
"This is by far the clearest and most insightful book to appear on domestic violence and custody issues, thoroughly grounded in both the research and the court system. An indispensable tool and a breakthrough, it is must reading for anyone handling the 50% of custody cases where domestic violence issues arise."
— Joan Zorza, Esq., Editor, Domestic Violence Report
"Critically informative for those who work directly with victims or abusers. The authors provide a comprehensive road map to the many problems batterers exhibit as parents, how these affect children, and what can be done about it."
— David Adams, Ed.D., Psychologist, Founder and Co-Director of Emerge
"This is a groundbreaking work that elucidates the complexity of the family dynamics engendered by a batterer’s presence in the home. Grounded in a sophisticated understanding of psychological trauma, and offering important recommendations for assessment and treatment, this book should be required reading for all professionals who work with parents or children affected by domestic violence."
— Beth Tabor Lev, Ph. D., Director of Training, The Traumatic Stress Institute
The Batterer as Parent takes the reader inside of homes affected by domestic violence, imparting an understanding of the atmosphere that battering men create for the children who live with them. Bancroft and Silverman show how partner abuse affects each relationship in a family, and explains how children’s emotional recovery is inextricably linked to the healing and empowerment of their mothers. The authors cover the important but often-overlooked area of the post-separation parenting behaviors of men who batter, including their use of custody litigation as a tool of abuse. Readers also are guided in evaluating change in the parenting of men who batter, assessing risk to children from unsupervised visitation, and supporting the emotional recovery of children. Although the book is written primarily for professionals, its accessible style makes it engaging and useful for abused mothers and anyone else wishing to assist children exposed to battering.
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