Join us on Wednesday, March 25th as the AVA Webinar Series presents Recognizing Risk: Assessing Family Violence in Family Litigation, featuring Dr. Lisa Heslop from the Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women and Children (CREVAWC)
Wednesday, April 15th, 2026
12 – 1:30pm MST
Screening for family violence (FV) is the first step in keeping parents who have experienced FV and their children safer. This talk will begin with an overview of why family legal professionals should screen for FV, what holds us back and what screening tools will help standardize the process. Moving beyond screening, Dr. Heslop will introduce a new online assessment guide––the e-SAFeR––that is designed to help you create parenting plan recommendations that account for FV and forefront the safety of the children and the parent who experienced FV. The e-SAFeR will guide you in your assessment of each element of the best interests of the children––according with the federal or provincial/territorial statue you choose––including the nature, severity and frequency of FV, coercive control, the impact of FV on the parent who experienced FV and their children, as well as assessing change in the parent who engaged in FV.
About the Speaker
Dr. Lisa Heslop is a research partner at the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children (CREVAWC), Western University. Lisa co-leads initiatives at CREVAWC related to family violence and family law and currently co-leads the Awareness to Action, Moving from screening and assessment to developing appropriate parenting plans after family violence in the family justice system. Lisa has a doctorate degree developmental psychology from the University of Toronto. She is the co-author of articles and book chapters related to gender-based violence and its impact; trauma and violence informed practice; and the criminalization of persons with mental illness. She is consultant at Navigating Onward, London Family Court Clinic and a member of the Clinical Panel of the Office of the Children’s Lawyer.