As part of a grant received from the Violence Against Women Office (VAWO), the Minnesota Rural Violence Against Women/Child Victimization Project staff reviewed numerous written protocols and related articles and conducted conversations with participants in collaborations across the U.S to compile the information found in the following document. It is intended as a guide for the local/county multidisciplinary teams who are Minnesota project participants.
Here in we have compiled recommendations regarding best practices and/or protocol components for child protection agencies, abused children's, and battered women's programs as they work on how to better serve battered women and their children. This is designed as a set of recommendations that representatives can adapt to their own conditions and locations as they see fit.
Goals/Guiding Principles
Most protocols begin with a list of goals or guiding principles. They generally mention the following components:
the need to protect both child and adult victims,
the need to recognize that safety of the abused women (mother)and the safety of her children are intertwined; and
the need to hold the perpetrator of domestic violence accountable.
Definition of Domestic Violence
Protocols may include a general definition of domestic violence and statistics on domestic violence and its overlap with child maltreatment.
Some include statutory definitions and/or reference pertinent statutes.
The MN Department of Human Service reviewed 13 state and/or county protocols for child protective services. Most of the elements in the following section were included in the document: Guidelines for Responding to the Co-occurrence of Child Maltreatment and Domestic Violence. This section is organized in the order by which different phase of child protection cases are approached: Screening, Assessment/Investigation, and Case Planning.
Screening
Most guidelines recommend that all reports and referrals to child protection should be screened for domestic violence at the initial point of intake.
Most include a short list of questions to be asked of the reporter to screen for domestic violence.
Some state that even if a call/report alleging domestic violence is not referred for assessment, the caller should be advised of specific options and resources for domestic violence (eg. crisis centers, shelters, and police).
Some mention that at the screening stage the worker should contact law enforcement to determine whether previous incidents of domestic violence involving the people in the report have been reported.
Assesment
All protocols reviewed recommend that every referral for assessment should be assessed for domestic violence as well as the routine child maltreatment risk and family strengths assessments that are already used.
Most mention the need to consider the relevance of culture, ethnicity, and immigration history in the assessment.
One state's protocol mentions that all phases of involvement with a family from initial intake through rehabilitation and reunification should include domestic violence assessment.
Some include recommendations or factors to consider in deciding whether or not a case should be opened following an assessment.
Some mention that prior to interviewing the family, the worker should investigate the prior criminal history of the perpetrator.
All guidelines state that the victim, the child, and the abuser should be interviewed separately whenever there is any indication of domestic violence.
Some recommend that the mother/woman be interviewed without the perpetrator's knowledge and outside of his presence to begin to assess the level of dangerousness to the woman if specific questions about domestic violence are asked.
Many recommend that the mother be interviewed first rather than the child where there is evidence of domestic violence.
Many note that if a caseworker experiences difficulty in interviewing the mother alone, this may itself be a signal of the level of control by the perpetrator.
Many suggest that the worker assure the victim that information will not be shared with the offender.
Suggestions for interviewing the adult victim about domestic abuse
Most protocols suggest several types of questions, starting with general relationship questions and progressing to more specific questions about abuse and violence as follows.
General questions to assess the relationship.
Questions to assess controlling behaviors and victim's freedom to act independently.
Questions to assess patterns of verbal, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse.
Questions to assess risk to children in domestic violence situations.
Questions to assess the victim's help-seeking history and current capacity to seek help given these past experiences.
Suggestions for interviewing the children about domestic violence
Many include suggestions about how to interview children and a list of questions or topics to ask children.
Questions include asking the child to recount what they saw and how they understand the violence, the impact of witnessing violence, and the child's worries about safety.
Issues in interviewing the alleged perpetrator about domestic violence
Most indicate that the worker should make a decision to interview the offender or not based on secondary information and information gathered from interviewing the mother and children. The worker should consider his or her own safety and the safety of the child and the mother.
The purpose of the interview is to assess for domestic violence and the impact of the violence on both the adults and the children.
Many contain lists of questions to ask the perpetrator.
Most include an assessment of offender lethality.
Many offer a list of questions to assess the potential lethality of the perpetrator.
Case Planning and Services
All protocols reviewed included recommendations to begin safety planning for both the mother and child immediately.
Many state that the worker should reinforce effective safety strategies used in the past, and inform the victim of her legal options.
Most list specific questions for the worker to ask the child to assist the mother and children in formulating safety plans and specific actions that can be taken by the mother and child.
Some state that a worker should not force a mother to select any one safety option, (eg. Orders for Protection or Restraining Orders need to be seen as only one possible option and should not be mandated as a condition for the victim.)
Most specify separate service plans should be written for the victim, the child, and the perpetrator.
Most protocols and guidelines discuss specific service plan tasks and specific services that can be offered to the adult victim for her or her children. Specified services for victims may include:
individual or group support or counseling,
legal advocacy,
legal representation,
housing assistance,
emergency financial assistance,
supervised visitation services for the children,
specialized assessment for domestic violence effects on children and victims,
daycare and/or crisis care for children while victim seeks assistance and employment,
educational group for the mother about the dynamics of abuse and the effects of domestic violence on herself and her children
Some specify that referrals for victims to domestic violence programs (eg. Shelter, advocacy, support groups, counseling, etc.) be made, but participation be voluntary.
Most guidelines suggest that the batterer should have a separate service plan from the mother, which holds him accountable for his behavior separately from the victim.
Most suggest that where the child protection system has jurisdiction over the batterer, case dispositions should include ways of holding him accountable for stopping his violence towards the mother (or towards the mother and children). Examples include:
Substantiate/determine cases on the basis of domestic violence of the perpetrator for physical abuse, endangerment, and/or neglect of children, rather than on the adult victim for "failure to protect";
Substantiate cases on the batterer for emotional maltreatment for exposing children to domestic violence;
Where possible, substantiate cases against non-residing perpetrators (intimate partners) of abused women in the same way as cases against any other caretaker of the children could be substantiated and/or through their contribution to a child needing protective intervention services.
Suggested service plan tasks for the perpetrator may include:
Exclusion from the home where the adult and/or child victim reside.
Participation in a batterer's treatment/reeducation program (including, follow all recommendations/requirements of the program, attend sessions, complete program, and pay for program).
Behave in a manner that is verbally, emotionally, sexually or physically abusive toward partner and/or children.
Not involve the children in attempts to control his/her partner or force them to witness or participate in other abusive behaviors.
Become educated regarding the effects of domestic violence on children,
Follow all conditions of court orders and probation, with follow-up provided by the court system.
Specified services for the perpetrator may also include:
Approved batterer's treatment program, which lasts at least six months, with progress monitored through development of a working collaboration with the treatment program's staff.
Specialized classes on parenting which emphasize the effects of domestic violence on children, men's responsibility to parent non-violently, and skills to do so.
Substance abuse services,
Visitation center services.
Cooperation with police, probation, when involved.
Some protocols offer specific statements about the removal of children in the event the domestic violence creates an immediate danger of harm to the child. For example, New York City's guidelines state that when domestic violence, creates a danger of serious physical harm or serious emotional harm to a child, every effort should be made to provide for safety without separating the non-abusive parent. If preventive services cannot effectively curtail domestic violence within the household, the abusive partner should be removed from the home by the police, or the non-abusive parent should be assisted in entering emergency shelter or another safe living situation with her child. When safety planning with the non-abusive parent and/or criminal justice intervention does not reasonably provide for children's safety in the context of domestic violence, appropriate safety interventions, including temporary foster care placement, must be considered. A similar statement is included in Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence & Child Maltreatment Cases Guidelines for Policy and Practice: Recommendations from the National Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges Family Violence Department.
Most of the guidelines include a list of services that are inappropriate or contraindicated in domestic violence cases. The following services not be used as the first line of intervention, and should only be considered once violence has abated.
Couples, marital, and family counseling or therapy, mediation, family group conferencing, and anger management programs for the batterer can increase the level of danger to the mother and children.
The Massachusetts protocol includes as inappropriate any service option that the mother believes will increase the level of danger and risk to her and/or her children. (Eg. When a batterer has threatened to kill the mother if a particular action was taken.)
Some guidelines also specify that the mother and children should be offered services regardless of whether the mother chooses to remain at home and/or in the relationship.
Some guidelines discuss issues regarding documentation and confidentiality of information, especially that provided by the victim of the abuse. Specifically, information given by the victim must be kept from the batterer and documentation should be written so that it is clear that the batterer is responsible for his abusive behavior.
Other recommended service provisions include:
Specify that safety planning should include an analysis and assessment of both batterer-generated and life-generated risks.
Every effort should be made to help the abused mother protect herself and her children before coercive measures such as citing her for failure to protect, are considered. Such measures should only be used as a last result after all interventions aimed at holding the perpetrator accountable for stopping his violence have been implemented and all efforts to protect the child and the mother from the abuser have been exhausted. If a failure to protect determination is substantiated against the abused mother, the domestic violence perpetrator should also be cited for endangering the children (in cases where child protection has jurisdiction over the perpetrator).
Most written protocols to date do not direct domestic violence programs regarding their role in cases where there is an overlap of domestic violence and potential child maltreatment within the same family. This compilation of suggested practices comes through a review of numerous articles written on the topic as well as through personal conversations with experts working in existing collaborations across the country.
Expand expertise and provide advocacy to women involved in child protection system.
Explain legal rights and issues to women involved in the child protection system.
Provide information to battered women regarding availability of advocacy throughout the duration of the case, including advocate attendance at meetings and court hearings regarding the child protection case, at her request.
Provide safety-planning options for battered women and their children.
Inform her of services that are available to her, including individual and group support for children and women, legal advocacy, emergency housing, crisis intervention, assistance with filing an OFP, etc.
Assist and provide some of those services to the battered woman that could help prevent an out-of-home placement. Eg. assistance with filing OFP, support and education groups for both the mother and her children, safety planning, consultation to child protection workers, and parenting education groups that focus on the effects of violence on children and parenting in crisis.
Where appropriate, assist battered woman to see a situation as an opportunity to receive services that might benefit the entire family.
Where requested by the woman, provide input to child protection regarding assessment, investigation, service and case planning.
Intervene with the county, at the woman's request, when a particular course of action they advise would be dangerous. Eg. in cases where petitioning for an Order for Protection may increase risk and make other recommendations on a case when requested by the woman.
Assist a woman in determining whether she and/or children are eligible for services, for example, mental health services or developmental disability services for child with behavioral problems.
Inform parent of the risks and benefits of agreeing to voluntary placement.
Advise on the risks and benefits of alternative response and let her determine the best way to proceed.
Assist with making concrete changes, like changing locks on doors, windows, food and safe shelter.
If an out-of-home placement is necessary, help find relatives or family friends who may take the child on a temporary basis to prevent juvenile court involvement.
If child is removed in an emergency, usually by police, help parent enforce their right to visitation with their child.
Assist a battered woman in asking for a review or appeal of a finding of maltreatment or if that fails, advise/assist them with seeking counsel to appeal a decision.
Indian Child Welfare Ace (ICWA) mandates that Indian children be placed in another Indian home, preferably with relatives or someone from the same tribe. An advocate can help a parent determine if his/her child is enrolled or if they are eligible for enrollment in an Indian tribe. If so, the advocate can contact the Indian Child Welfare Worker assigned to that tribe to determine what help is available.
Contact ombudsman authorized to investigate concerns involving African American, American Indian, Asian-Pacific, and Chicano/Latino children when there are complaints regarding child protection and these ethnic communities.
Contact compliance review team established to investigate complaints of non-compliance with ICWA and the MN Indian Family Preservation Act.
Develop internal program policies regarding cases where there is suspected maltreatment of children and mandated reporting may require a report to child protection agency.
Train staff and volunteers accordingly on the policy and procedures, including:
Understanding of the state guidelines for the mandated reporting of maltreatment to appropriate local or state agencies.
Appropriate interviewing and assessment strategies with children.
Creating supportive interventions for battered women who maltreat their children via abuse or neglect.
Consulting with child protection liaison or other child protection expert who has in-depth understanding of the multiple and complex problems that arise in families where there is suspected overlap with domestic violence, to answer questions regarding cases, while adhering to strict confidentiality requirements.
Utilizing auxiliary forms, which provide context for battered women's experience when making mandatory reports to child protection (see Advocate Report Form), and not only using the standard format the CPS agency provides.
Provide information to battered women about the effects of violence on children and what constitutes child maltreatment in legal and clinical terms.
Develop or expand existing parenting groups for battered women.
Include topics such as:
the effects of violence on children and how to help them recover;
how abusers attack a woman's parenting to maintain control;
effective, non-violent discipline; and,
issues related to single parenting undress extreme stress.
Promote the development of parenting classes for abusers (or add components to existing batterers groups) that stress the impact of domestic violence on the children (as opposed to programs that teach abusers how to parent despite the violence).
Develop and improve child-friendly environments, including daycare center space, after-school space, child-welcoming atmosphere, and child-friendly policies.
Reexamine needs of battered women with children over the age of 12, especially boys, and develop programming accordingly.
Connect families with community resources, including mental health and substance abuse services, children's mental health services, child visitation centers, and parenting groups.
Collaborate with ICWA workers regarding cases involving Indian women and children.
Develop and make available to child protection, brochures and information packets regarding available services for families involved in the child protection system for distribution to battered women.
Maintain agency autonomy in order to enhance safety and security for women and their children and to maintain ability for effective systems and individual advocacy.
Work with county child protection agencies doing alternative response to ensure that offered services are appropriate and promote the safety of both a battered mother and her child(ren).
When participating on a multi-disciplinary child protection team, clarify confidentiality, roles, advocate for limited sharing of information regarding the identity of individuals, and maintain focus on class and systems advocacy.
Minnesota's project is the first in the country to include abused children's services in its collaboration. These best practices were developed through an analysis of existing programs and in consultation with abused children's program personnel. Depending upon the type of abused children grantee serving the area where the collaborations are developed, services will vary and efforts should be made to determine where issues of overlap may exist, and to develop programming to address it accordingly. Considerations include:
When working with abused children, screen and assess for domestic violence.
Where domestic violence is identified, provide information and referral to the mother on local resources for battered women, including the availability of advocacy for battered women who are involved in the child protection system.
Do not require/ mandate battered woman to participate in battered women's services or to have contact with a battered woman's program.
Gain expertise and provide information to battered women about the effects of violence on children and what constitutes child maltreatment.
Provide safety-planning options for battered women and their children.
When making a mandatory report to child protection, where the mother is battered, utilize auxiliary forms, which provide context for her experience (see Advocate Report Form).
Coordinate with the battered women's program to provide support services for children whose mothers are abused, including support groups and programs for children who witness, dating violence, parenting groups, etc.
Examine existing program to identify where it may be enhanced to address issues of overlap.
Where eligible, apply for crime victim's reparations to provide children with mental health services.
Develop and make available to child protection and battered women's program, brochures or other information regarding available services for battered women involved in the child protection system for distribution to battered women whose children are referred for (or eligible for) abused children's services.
Collaborate with ICWA workers regarding cases of overlap involving Indian women and children.
Consult with child protection and/or battered women's liaison who has in-depth understanding of the multiple and complex problems that arise in families where there is suspected overlap, to answer questions regarding a particular case, while adhering to strict confidentiality requirements.
NOTE: Regarding collaboration between child protection, battered women's, and abused children's agencies, Sections II through IV of this document do not specify joint investigations, case planning, or other efforts regarding individual cases unless requested by the battered woman. Although some collaboratives are providing these services when not requested by the battered woman, there is growing concern that this blurs the distinction between the battered women's program and the child protection agency. This carries a significant risk that the battered women's program will become over-identified with the child protection agency, thus eliminating it as a potential resource for the battered woman. For the same reasons (and additional ones), it is recommended that protocols not mandate battered women to participate in battered women's programming. Rather, we believe the best approach to take is to advocate and provide detailed information to battered women about services and options at all points of entry.
Each involved agency should identify a contact person to serve as a liaison to the other agencies for the following purposes:
To increase knowledge of agencies' and programs' philosophies and practices across systems,
To become a resource for your own and other collaborators regarding cases of overlap between domestic violence and child maltreatment,
To develop expertise regarding model initiatives for collaboration between child welfare and domestic violence agencies,
To respond to complaints and requests for general information and regarding specific cases, from collaborators while adhering to confidentiality requirements (see Sharing Information/Confidentiality below),
To review, on a regular basis, confidentiality requirements with existing and new staff and volunteers,
To participate in interagency networking sessions and meetings, and to coordinate agency activities regarding collaborative effort, and
To provide updates and coordinate training activities as needed for collaborators.
Current thinking regarding case review, case consultation and other types of information sharing regarding particular cases stresses:
the importance of protecting the identity of the individuals involved;
should only occur when there has been a request from and permission granted by the battered woman to share specific information;
should only occur when there is a signed release; and
that the information shared is strictly relevant to the case.
Most requests for information can occur in the context of a hypothetical case discussion without breaking confidentiality.
For battered women's and abused children's programs, identifying information should only be shared to make a mandatory report or if the battered woman requests it, in which case releases must be secured.
Battered women's programs may want to include considerations in the protocol regarding information sharing while serving on multi-disciplinary teams.
NOTE: Although the Minnesota state statute allows sharing, this kind of data sharing by battered women's programs does not necessarily further the safety interests of battered women and their children. Battered women's advocates explicit role on teams should be as a resource to identify systemic change needed to reform and refine institutional practices to enhance victim safety and offender accountability as a method of reducing both child abuse and domestic violence in cases of overlap.
Procedures outlined in protocols should comply with state statues and case law governing what information child protection, domestic violence and abused children programs can share and with whom. Attorneys familiar with governing statutes, case law, and local agency policies should review protocols before they are adopted.
Include provisions that articulate the regulations governing confidentiality for each agency, including the types of information on families that will be shared between the child protection agency and local domestic violence programs.
Any domestic violence program receiving Victim's of Crime Act (VOCA) or Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) grant funding are required by the U.S. federal government to have a written policy in place to keep records confidential.
Articulate procedures for battered women's programs that will be used when child protection or law enforcement is seeking the whereabouts of a particular battered woman.
Anytime releases are utilized, information to be shared should be explicit, have direct relevance to the case, and include Tennessen warning.
NOTE: The Tennessen Warning is part of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA), Chapter 13 of Minnesota State Statutes. This is a state law that controls how government data are collected, created, stored (maintained), used and released (disseminated). For more information, visit theMinnesota State Department of Administration or the Revisor of Statutes.
All protocol documents reviews on the issue of the intersection of child maltreatment and domestic violence specify the need for multi-disciplinary cross-training. Various protocols suggest the following recommendations:
Provide annual training on child maltreatment and mandatory reporting laws, child protection practices, assessment, intervention, and the protocol, for abused children's and battered women's programs.
Child protection and abused children staff should be trained annually to inquire about domestic violence and child maltreatment and to offer education and information about these issues to their clients; the dynamics of domestic violence, intervention, and the protocol.
Training opportunities, outreach, and education materials should also be offered to service providers in private practice such as psychologists, independent social workers, and family therapists, and other mental health providers; as well as lawyers, mediators, guardians ad litem, and others.
Provide a minimum of two days training for all child protection staff, new and experienced, including supervisors, on domestic violence, including information on dynamics of domestic violence, assessment, intervention, and the protocol. The training team should be comprised of a child protection staff person and domestic violence expert. Local domestic violence programs should also be invited to participate in the training as resource people, and to enhance further collaboration between child protection and domestic violence programs.
Domestic violence, abused children, and child protection agency staff should attend each other's training.
Provide for domestic violence staff and volunteer training on child abuse identification and intervention from child abuse experts.
It is recommended that participants in the collaboration meet on an ongoing basis to:
Develop relationships based on mutual respect and trust.
Discuss philosophical and practical similarities and differences while respecting the integrity of each agency's belief system and approach. The goal is not to force submission to one or the other's philosophy, but rather to facilitate the development of broader understanding of each other's roles and purpose, philosophical foundations, a commitment to the synthesis of new and creative ideas, and a personal commitment to the elimination of ineffective responses based on outmoded thinking.
Define and clarify confidentiality issues that will arise as a result of collaboration.
Develop, review, and update guidelines for group decision making and conflict resolution.
Identify and plan for individual agency, as well as joint training needs, and community-wide education and training efforts.
Continue to clarify and implement the referral and reporting policies of each agency.
Share information regarding individual services, joint efforts, new initiatives and innovations being tried locally and elsewhere.
Identify and define on an ongoing basis, safety issues and intervention strategies that meet the safety and security needs of battered women and abused children from all cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and each agency.
Examine criminal and civil legal remedies available for holding perpetrators accountable in child protection and domestic violence cases; the effectiveness of their application locally and county wide, and strategies for removal of local, county and state barriers to their effective utilization.
Review institutional responses that harmed children and their battered mothers, identify the source of the problem (s), and institutionalize changes that would prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Identify joint goals for creating institutional and community change, audit existing community resources, and expand collaboration to other community professionals to enhance safety for battered women, hold offenders accountable, and create a general deterrent in the community.
Review, evaluate, and update the protocol.
Collaboratives can set goals within their protocols, which expand the focus from the individual roles of the battered women's and child protection agencies to the roles of other community agencies in ending child abuse and domestic violence. In their document Effective Interventions in Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment Cases (1999), the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges recommended that every community working to end battering and child maltreatment needs to take an active role in assuring that families first can meet their basic human needs. They recommend that communities conduct an audit of community responses, starting with the broad question, "Do our interventions make it possible to carry out the core goals of safety, well being, and stability for children and families?" From the answer to this question and the following specific questions regarding community resources and norms, the collaboration can expand membership to address gaps and set goals for future collaborative efforts. Efforts should address the changes in policy, procedures, and training needed to meet the goals of safety, well-being and stability for both child and adult victims. The following is excerpted from the Effective Interventions document (Chapter 1, p. 18).
Are there adequate and safe long-term and crisis housing for families in danger?
Do battered women and men who batter have access to economic supports and services?
Are adequate, respectful, and culturally appropriate treatment services available, as needed, for adult and child victims and for perpetrators?
Are there adequate and culturally meaningful support, advocacy and crisis services for women who are battered?
Are health services available to all victims who need them?
Are there support and education groups and mental health services for child witnesses to violence?
Are there accessible and culturally appropriate intervention programs for men who batter?
Do these programs include content about parenting and responsible fathering?
Do substance abuse providers assess for and intervene in violence?
Are substance abuse treatment beds available when they are needed for parents in danger?
Are women's substance abuse treatment facilities equipped with beds and services for children?
Are services specifically designed for adolescent victims or youth that commit violence against intimate partners or family members?
Are law enforcement and court practices and policies in place to protect those in danger?
Are agencies and courts sufficiently protecting family members' privacy while simultaneously allowing for the exchange of information to coordinated interventions for families?
Are leaders, including those representing public and private institutions and community groups, involved in establishing norms and practices to eliminate domestic violence and to support healthy relationships?
Do community residents know how to respond to friends and family members in danger? Are they comfortable talking about family violence?
Do clergy, teachers, coaches, elected officials, and other leaders speak out against family violence and on behalf of violence-free families?
Are diverse individuals and communities, including gay and lesbian residents, disabled peopled and ethnic and religious groups, engaged in the community dialogue about eliminating violence?
Provide family support or family preservation services for women and their children leaving shelter or substance abuse programs.
Collaborate with other initiatives involved in anti-violence efforts or children's welfare and mental health issues.
Initiate community wide outreach and intervention. Neighborhood residents, child care providers, and clergy should be taught to recognize signs of domestic violence and child abuse and should be encouraged to talk to a neighbor, congregant, or client about violence in the family. Resource lists and other information about child abuse and domestic violence should be displayed where people congregate, such as in rest rooms and waiting rooms, and on wall posters.
Develop education efforts for community-based service providers to identify domestic violence, and to talk with victims or perpetrators in a manner that supports safety for all family members, victim autonomy, and perpetrator accountability. Outreach and education materials that encourage all family members to ask for help should be prominently displayed in these agencies and in community centers.
Community-based service providers may include:
Physicians
Visiting nurses
Teachers, guidance counselors, and school social workers
Head start and day care providers
Family support workers
Clergy
Employee assistance program personnel at workplace
Efforts must also address how community members can be active in preventing such violence by fostering and celebrating healthy, nonviolent intimate and family relationships and by strengthening social norms supporting these relationships. The development of these needed approaches can be greatly facilitated by collaborative efforts between child welfare and domestic violence experts.
Although battering and child maltreatment affect families of all races and classes, certain women, including battered immigrants, may be more vulnerable when faced with violence. For example:
Poor battered women are more vulnerable to losing their children when there are inadequate safety and support services. Because of welfare reform, communities will soon encounter more families exposed to violence who are without access to services and economic supports they may have had prior to TANF/MFIP.
Women and children from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds are also disproportionately involved in the child protection system and this may in part be due to lack of culturally competent early prevention and intervention programs, disproportionate reporting, substantiation and racism.
For these reasons, it is important for protocols to specify cultural competency goals, such as:
Review protocol drafts and other changes in practice with communities of color to assess whether it will differentially affect women of color and their children.
Assure that representation on the county team is representative of the diversity of the community.
Assess community services for cultural competency.
Include provisions, which define county reservation tribal policies about domestic violence and child safety and clarify specific county and reservation responsibilities.
It is recommended that participants include written complaint procedures for those occasions where agency's failed to follow their agreed upon policies.
Involved agencies agree to respond to complaints by adopting/developing forms whereby staff from each agency will record complaint and secure releases where necessary.
Recorded complaints will be forwarded to agency liaison, who will contact liaison from other agency to discuss, ascertain the source of the problem, and resolve the issue. Possible avenues for resolution include:
Clarifying policy, protocol, and/or procedure with complainant or errant employee.
Addressing problem with county team, in order to enhance responses through policy, protocol, and/or procedural change.
Providing additional training to employee or other agency regarding roles.
Changing laws/ statutes etc. where needed to enable better responses.
Evaluate the protocol/collaboration from the standpoint of increased safety for children and battered woman and the other goals of the collaboration.
This is done by:
Tracking and collecting data on a continuing basis to determine if the agreed upon practices and guidelines and goals are consistently applied.
Conducting research to determine effectiveness of protocol in:
increasing the numbers of perpetrators held accountable for their violence;
reducing recidivism;
decreased separation assault;
increasing the number of battered women identified in the child protection system and accessing services;
increasing child safety, autonomy, safety, and quality of life for mothers
reducing the numbers and lengths of time cases are opened;
expanding community services; and
other measures of achieving joint goals and objectives.
Incorporating issues of class, race and culture into any evaluation.
Meet with other participating agencies semi-annually to review the protocol and adapt as necessary.
It is recommended that the protocol be signed and dated by authorized representatives of the involved agencies, with a proviso that through signature of the document, the undersigned agree to its implementation for the amount of time specified. Specify as well that it will be reviewed on an annual basis to assess its effectiveness and make revisions where needed.
Signatures of Authorized Agency Representatives
Effective Start
Review Dates
End Dates (if time-limited)
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