Filicide in Australia

Drawing on the most recent research on filicide in Australia and internationally, this chapter highlights a number of risk factors evident in Australian research including the vulnerability of very young children, the mental illness of the perpetrator, prior domestic violence inflicted by the male perpetrator or suffered by the female perpetrator, parental separation, prior child abuse, substance abuse, the criminal history of the perpetrator, the presence of a step-father and the perpetrator’s use of or failure to engage with services. The chapter argues that the constellation of factors varies according to perpetrator group and that professionals carrying out risk assessments need to take this into consideration.