George, R;
Remington, A;
Crane, L;
Pophale, C;
Bingham, A;
(2018)
Legal professionals' knowledge and experience of autistic adults in the family justice system.
Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
, 40
(1)
pp. 78-97.
10.1080/09649069.2018.1414381.
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Abstract
Access to justice is a key theme in the family justice system, especially for those with particular vulnerabilities. Autism, a development condition characterised by difficulties in social communication and interaction, and the presence of rigid, repetitive behaviours, presents particular challenges in this area. This paper reports the findings of a mixed-methods study with legal professionals working in the family justice system, asking about their knowledge of autism, their perceived self-efficacy when working with autistic clients, and their experience of cases involving autistic litigants. The study reports high levels of knowledge, but low levels of confidence, by legal professionals (N = 204), and addresses the experiences of particular cases in follow-up discussions (N = 10). The paper concludes by making a series of recommendations for legal professionals to assist autistic people to engage fully in family court proceedings.
Type: | Article |
---|---|
Title: | Legal professionals' knowledge and experience of autistic adults in the family justice system |
Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
DOI: | 10.1080/09649069.2018.1414381 |
Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1080/09649069.2018.1414381 |
Language: | English |
Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
Keywords: | Autism, access to justice, legal professionals, family justice system, knowledge and attitudes |
UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Psychology and Human Development UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Laws |
URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10022835 |
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