Choosing Positive Paths

Choosing Positive Paths is a series of fact sheets to help mothers, other protective parents and/or carers, respond to children affected by family violence at different ages and stages, from infants to adolescents. The information is also helpful for a range of professionals who work with families.

The Choosing Positive Paths resource kit is a joint initiative of Women’s Health West and Berry Street and is based on a resource developed with community participants in 2003. The fact sheets have been re-written to reflect changes in legislation, policy and practice since their original release in 2003.

Hard copy resource packs available to buy.

Free PDF Downloads

The 10 fact sheets can be downloaded here for free:

• Brochure 1: Parenting, violence and your safety: who can help
• Brochure 2: Pregnancy and violence
• Brochure 3: Parenting a baby who has experienced violence: birth to 18 months
• Brochure 4: Parenting a toddler who has experienced violence: 1.5 to 3 years
• Brochure 5: Parenting a pre-schooler who has experienced violence: 3 to 5 years
• Brochure 6: Parenting a primary schooler who has experienced violence: 5 to 12 years
• Brochure 7: Parenting a teenager who has experienced violence: 13 to 18 years
• Brochure 8: The effects of violence on children’s behaviour
• Brochure 9: Parenting: Talking about separating, moving house and seeing dad
• Brochure 10: Parenting, violence and the legal system

Please consider if it is safe for you to download, print or take these brochures home. Workers are advised to be mindful of supplying hard copies of these brochures only when safe to do so. 

You may need more support

Each family’s situation is unique and the information here is general. If you are concerned your child is unsafe or being harmed you need to seek risk and safety advice from a family violence service or police and legal advice from a lawyer. More information on these specialist services are included in the fact sheets.