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.
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.
A. 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.
B. Assessment
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.
C. 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.
D. 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.
A. 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.
B. 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.
C. Provide information to battered women about the effects
of violence on children and what constitutes child maltreatment in legal
and clinical terms.
D. 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.
E. 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).
F. Develop and improve child-friendly environments,
including daycare center space, after-school space, child-welcoming
atmosphere, and child-friendly policies.
G. Reexamine needs of battered women with children over the
age of 12, especially boys, and develop programming accordingly.
H. Connect families with community resources, including
mental health and substance abuse services, children’s mental health
services, child visitation centers, and parenting groups.
I. Collaborate with ICWA workers regarding cases involving
Indian women and children.
J. 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.
K. 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.
L. 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).
M. 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.
A. 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.
A. 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.
B. Most requests for information can occur in the context
of a hypothetical case discussion without breaking
confidentiality.
C. 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.
D. 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.
A. 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.
B. 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.
C. 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.
D. 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.
E. 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 State
of Minnesota’s Administrative Services or the Revisor of
Statutes.
A. 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.
A. 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.
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).
Community Resource Indicators
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?
Community Norm Indicators
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?
Other Suggestions for Community Enhancement
Goals
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.
Building Culturally Competent Collaborations
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.
A. 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.
B. 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.
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Social Work, 29, 237-242.
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Interventions.
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Domestic Violence.
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Violence Guidelines and Protocols for Child Protective Service
Agencies,. Minnesota Department of Human Services, Co-occurence
Task Force.
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Violence Protocol for CPS.
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Batter.
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Collaboration. Andre Agassi Foundation. Praxis Audio Conference.
Mischel, Nancy. (2000). The Advocate’s Guide to Minnesota’s Child
Protection System. Legal Services Advocacy Project.
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Richard, Jill. (2001). Coordinator, Domestic Violence Unit, Vermont
Child Protective Services, Conversation with Author.
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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.
