Responding to Children Exposed to Domestic Violence

The following research studies and policies address a variety of collaborative programs that respond to children exposed to domestic violence. Resources include State and local examples.

Children Exposed to Violence
CrimeSolutions.gov
Provides research on programs serving children who have witnessed or are victimized by crime to inform practitioners and policymakers about what works in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victim services.  Research is scored on being effective, promising, or showing no effects.

Connect: Supporting Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: In-Service Training for Resource Families
Family Violence Prevention Fund (2009)
Offers a basic training session for foster parents, kin caregivers, and adoptive parents on the dynamics of domestic violence, the impact of exposure to domestic violence on children, and strategies for supporting children who have been exposed to violence.

Creating Safety and Stability for Children Exposed to Family Violence: A Working Paper for Family to Family Sites (PDF - 144 KB)
Cohen & Davis (2006)
Provides information that can be used by Family to Family grantees to expand, improve, and complement their current practices to respond to the needs of families experiencing domestic violence that are in the child welfare system.

Emerging Responses to Children Exposed to Domestic Violence
Edelson & Nissley (2006)
Reviews the research, policies, and programs focused on children who have witnessed domestic violence.

Evaluation of a Wrap-Around Process for Children Exposed to Family Violence
Crusto, Lowell, Paulicin, Reynolds, Feinn, Friedman, & Kaufman
Best Practices in Mental Health, 4(1), 2008
View Abstract
Offers comprehensive assessment, targeted caregiver-child intervention, individualized service planning, and care coordination.

Evidence-Based Practices for Children Exposed to Violence: A Selection From Federal Databases (PDF - 335 KB)
U.S. Department of Justice & U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2011)
Summarizes Federal reviews of research studies and program evaluations to help localities address childhood exposure to violence and improve outcomes for children, families, and communities.

Healing the Invisible Wounds: Children's Exposure to Violence: A Guide for Families (PDF - 3080 KB)
Safe Start Center (2009)
Helps parents and other caregivers understand the potential impact of exposure to violence on the development of children and provides practical suggestions for supporting the healing process for children of all ages.

Honor Our Voices
Avon Foundation for Women, Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA), and Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) at the University of Minnesota
Presents an online learning module of practice guides and digital stories designed to increase the awareness and sensitivity of shelter advocates and other providers to the needs of children and suggests promising ways of enhancing services for children exposed to domestic violence.

A Judicial Checklist for Children and Youth Exposed to Violence (PDF - 520 KB)
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (2006)
Discusses the effects on children and youth of exposure to violence and summarizes promising community collaborations that employ a multidisciplinary approach in responding to children's exposure to violence. Also see the checklist. (PDF - 184 KB)

Resources -- Children Exposed to Violence
National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma and Mental Health
Includes a compilation of publications and resources that address children exposed to domestic violence.

Safe Start: Promising Approaches Communities: Working Together to Help Children Exposed to Violence (PDF - 1810 KB)
Safe Start Center & Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (2008)
Describes the Safe Start initiative, which seeks to prevent and reduce the negative consequences of children's exposure to violence, as well as to create conditions that enhance the well-being of all children and adolescents through preventive interventions.

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State and local examples

Child Welfare Practices for Cases with Domestic Violence (PDF - 748 KB)
Oregon Department of Human Services, Children, Adults and Families Division (2010)
Focuses on domestic violence cases in which child protective services intervenes and describes the department's best practices for working with domestic violence cases throughout the life of a case.

The Child Witness to Violence Project
Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center
Provides counseling, advocacy, training, and outreach focusing on children who are bystanders to community and domestic violence.

Identifying and Responding to the Needs of Children in Domestic Violence Shelters: Final Report (PDF - 973 KB)
Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University (2008)
Describes a training protocol developed in North Carolina to improve the capacities of staff of domestic violence shelters to screen, intervene, and refer shelter residents who are experiencing distress related to their exposure to violence.

The Needs of Children in Domestic Violence Shelters (PDF - 3951 KB)
Center for Child and Family Health (2009)
Serves as a teaching tool and guide for domestic violence workers in North Carolina to understand how trauma from domestic violence affects children and how best to serve the children's needs.

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