La Trobe University is offering a PhD scholarship linked to research on family violence safety for First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse families involved in family court proceedings. The project sits within an Australian Research Council Discovery Project that will follow families over four years to study how safety changes after high-risk court involvement.
Key facts
- The PhD is based at La Trobe University and connected to the Bouverie Centre.
- The scholarship offers $36,000 per year for 3.5 years of full-time PhD study.
- The wider ARC Discovery Project is titled “Enhancing Safety from Family Violence Through and Beyond Family Court Litigation.”
- The study focuses on First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse parents involved in family court proceedings.
- The scholarship is available to domestic applicants only.
What does this mean for prospective PhD students?
The scholarship gives eligible domestic applicants a funded route into doctoral research on family violence, family court processes and culturally informed methods. It is especially directed to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and to candidates whose research interests align with Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse Australian families.
The project is designed for a PhD by publication and may combine literature review, analysis of existing research data and yarning-based work with cohort participants. The available dataset includes information on 214 First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse parents and their initial safety profiles when they entered the court system, giving the successful candidate a concrete evidence base to work from.
- Funding: $36,000 annually.
- Duration: 3.5 years.
- Location: La Trobe University, with support from the Bouverie Centre.
- Audience: Domestic applicants, with encouragement for First Nations candidates.
Why is this scholarship focused on family court safety?
The research asks how families move from being assessed as high risk toward sustained safety. That matters because safety can change over time, including after direct court involvement lessens or ends. The wider project aims to identify what helps, what continues to create risk, and how court, service and family factors interact.
What will the PhD study examine?
The doctoral project will focus on Research Question 2d of the wider program: how First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse parents explain improved safety after an initial high-risk assessment. The research may explore family relationships, community support, cultural connections, access to services, safety planning, and experiences with government and statutory systems.
The project also plans to consider whether these factors operate differently for First Nations families and culturally and linguistically diverse families. It is intended to give parents space to describe what changed, which services helped or harmed, and how culture, country, family and community shaped their experiences.
How would the research be carried out?
The PhD is expected to use a combination of approaches. One component may review family court practices internationally, especially those affecting Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Another may analyse the existing dataset. A third may use yarning and other narrative methods with existing participants, with drawings and artwork also encouraged where appropriate.
The candidate will work with supervisors to refine the question and develop culturally informed methods. Supervision is listed with Dr Anna Booth as primary supervisor, alongside Dr Felicity Painter and Professor Jennifer McIntosh. Cultural support will come from Alison Elliott, Bouverie’s First Nations team leader, with links encouraged to the Family Courts’ Indigenous Advisor at the Melbourne Registry.
Who can apply?
The scholarship is open to domestic applicants only. The opportunity particularly encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who meet La Trobe’s PhD candidature requirements. If a suitable First Nations or culturally and linguistically diverse candidate is not available, the project says other students whose interests align with the work may also be considered.
