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Briony Horsfall

Senior Research Officer

Family Law, Family Violence and Elder Abuse Research

Dr Briony Horsfall is a Sociologist with qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research expertise in the areas of family law, child protection, family violence, and children’s rights.

Briony joined the Institute in 2009 and has also worked in academic, government and non-government settings. She has been involved in a range of projects over time, including the Domestic and Family Violence and Parenting: Mixed Method Insights Into Impact and Support Needs project, the Evaluation of the 2012 Family Violence Amendments, and the Independent Children's Lawyers Study.

Briony’s PhD took a socio-legal approach to investigate participation rights of children and young people during child protection proceedings in the Children’s Court of Victoria. The first research of its kind, Briony conducted an ethnographic study with lawyers who represent children and a case file study of judicial decision-making. Briony’s work outside the Institute has included research on the implications of assisted reproductive technologies, grandparents caring for grandchildren, and higher education. She has also taught in sociology and research courses at universities.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy (Sociology), Swinburne University of Technology
  • Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Swinburne University of Technology
  • Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology), Swinburne University of Technology

Publications

See list of family studies publications by Briony Horsfall in the AIFS library