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The Intersection of Domestic Violence and Child Welfare

Many families experiencing domestic violence may also be involved with the child welfare system due to children's exposure to violence or the co-occurrence of child abuse and neglect. The following resources address the issues facing the fields of child welfare and domestic violence when a family is involved with both systems.

Information Packet: Domestic Violence and Its Role in Child Welfare (PDF - 244 KB) National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning (2006) Reviews the research on the intersection of domestic violence and child welfare and examines effective practices that combine both fields. Guidelines on the Co-Occurrence of Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment (PDF - 556 KB) Safe From the Start (2004) Provides guiding principles for integrating child maltreatment and domestic violence services and presents a framework for responders. Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Bibliography (PDF - 138 KB) Children and Family Research Center (2004) Lists references to publications addressing the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child abuse. Community Partnerships for Protecting Children: Lessons About Addressing Domestic Violence (PDF - 132 KB) Family Violence Prevention Fund (2006) Discusses emerging knowledge about the intersection of domestic violence and child maltreatment and reviews efforts to address the issue.

Activist Dialogues: How Domestic Violence and Child Welfare Systems Impact Women of Color and Their Communities (PDF - 277 KB)
Family Violence Prevention Fund (2005)
Discusses how to improve services to battered women and their children who are involved with the child welfare system and what can be done to prevent more battered women and their children from becoming involved in the child welfare system.

Child Welfare as a Gateway to Domestic Violence Services
Kohl, Barth, & Hazen
Children and Youth Services Review, 27(11), 2005
View Abstract
Examines the identification of domestic violence by child welfare workers during investigations of maltreatment and determines how this contributes to the receipt of domestic violence services.

Domestic Violence in Child Welfare
Postmus (2005)
In Child Welfare for the Twenty-first Century: A Handbook of Practices, Policies, and Programs
View Abstract
Reviews the consequences faced when children are exposed to violence and describes State and local initiatives to address the issue.

From Awareness to Practice: Children, Domestic Violence and Child Welfare
Rivett & Kelly
Child Abuse Review, 15(4), 2006
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Traces the development of social care practice in relation to child witnesses of domestic violence.

Integrating Domestic Violence Intervention Into Child Welfare Practice (PDF - 435 KB)
Sawyer & Lohrbach
Protecting Children, 20(2/3), 2005
Considers the use of differential response with child welfare cases involving domestic violence and the need for child protective services agencies to tailor their services to the unique needs of families affected by domestic violence.

Intersection of Child Abuse and Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence
Herrenkohl, Sousa, & Tajima
Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 9(2), 2008
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Addresses research on the overlap of physical child abuse and domestic violence, the prediction of child outcomes, and resilience in children exposed to family violence.

Intimate Partner Violence and Child Maltreatment: Understanding Co-Occurrence and Intergenerational Connections (PDF - 202 KB)
Renner & Slack (2004)
Examines intergenerational pathways of family violence and assesses the extent to which different forms of family violence occur during childhood and during adulthood within the same sample.

Making the Link: Promoting the Safety of Battered Women and Children Exposed to Domestic Violence
Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse
Provides current information on research and collaborative practice with families experiencing both child maltreatment and woman battering.

Overview of the Children and Domestic Violence Services Study
Smith, Kelleher, Barth, & Coben
Children and Youth Services Review, 27(11), 2005
View Abstract
Summarizes a project to collect detailed, contextual data at the State and local levels on the organization and relationship of child welfare services for children and domestic violence services for women.

Theoretical Framework for Thinking About Batterers and Child Protection
Non-Violence Alliance (2006)
Poses a series of questions addressing services provided to batterers who are both a caretaker of children and the person exposing them to violence and abuse.

	Related Information Gateway Topics Systemwide: Domestic violence - Impact of domestic violence Systemwide: Domestic violence - Domestic violence and cross-system collaboration

Updated on January 5, 2009