1

Domestic Violence: A Primer for 

Child Welfare Professionals

FACTSHEETS | DECEMBER 2020

Domestic violence is a devastating social 

problem that affects every segment of 

the population, regardless of age, gender, 

sexuality, or ethnicity. Many families 

experiencing domestic violence also come 

to the attention of the child welfare system. 

Because the overlap in caseloads between 

domestic violence services (DVS) advocates 

and child welfare workers is significant, it is 

important that service providers be viewed 

as part of one overarching system that works 

to protect family well-being, rather than 

as belonging to two separate systems—one 

dedicated to protecting adults and the other 

to protecting children. 

Children’s Bureau/ACYF/ACF/HHS | 800.394.3366 | Email: info@childwelfare.gov | https://www.childwelfare.gov

WHAT'S INSIDE

Differential response

Background

Responding to domestic violence

Interagency collaboration

Family assessments

Conclusion

Trauma-focused approach to service provision

References
Children’s Bureau/ACYF/ACF/HHS | 800.394.3366 | Email: info@childwelfare.gov | https://www.childwelfare.gov 2

Child welfare professionals, DVS advocates, 

and other community stakeholders are 

increasingly working together to address the 

impact of domestic violence on children. This 

primer provides child welfare caseworkers 

and related practitioners with a high-level 

overview of the complex intersections 

between domestic violence and child welfare 

and points to promising practices.

For those interested in a more comprehensive 

look at the topics covered here, including 

detailed guidance on everyday child welfare 

practice related to domestic violence, 

please see the Child Protection in Families 

Experiencing Domestic Violence (2nd ed.) user 

manual, developed by the Children’s Bureau’s 

Capacity Building Center for States. 

BACKGROUND

The co-occurrence of domestic violence and 

family involvement in the child welfare system 

can take many different forms. Often, complex 

relational dynamics are at play in an impacted 

household, creating multiple risk factors 

for those who are experiencing violence. 

For example, the offending parent might 

make allegations of child abuse and neglect 

against the nonoffending parent as a control 

tactic. In other cases, a survivor may decide 

to leave the relationship without having 

the financial resources to care for children. 

Or, the survivor might stay in a dangerous 

household for fear of more severe retaliation 

should he or she leave with the children 

(Quality Improvement Center on Domestic 

Violence in Child Welfare, 2018). In households 

where domestic violence is present, children’s 

experiences can range from overhearing or 

witnessing confrontations, to being hurt when 

intervening, or directly experiencing abuse.

DEFINING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

The terminology used to define relationship 

violence varies throughout the child welfare 

field. This primer uses the term "domestic 

violence," which is defined as a pattern of 

coercively controlling behaviors used by 

a person to gain or maintain power and 

domination over their intimate partner. 

Some research studies cited in this brief use 

"intimate partner violence" or simply "partner 

violence" to describe their data. 

Statutory definitions of domestic violence 

vary by State or territory and describe 

specific conducts or acts that are subject to 

civil and criminal action. For more information 

on how each State defines domestic violence, 

see Information Gateway’s State statute, 

Definitions of Domestic Violence.

SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM

The most comprehensive, nationally 

representative data on the intersection 

between child maltreatment and domestic 

violence is derived from the National 

Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence 

(NATSCEV). According to the most recent 

available statistics, 57 percent of older 

children who reported witnessing partner 

violence in their lifetimes also indicated that 

In some States and U.S. territories, legal 

protection is extended to children who 

witness acts of domestic violence in 

their homes. Child Welfare Information 

Gateway’s factsheet, Child Witnesses to 

Domestic Violence outlines individual 

State statutes related to this issue.
Children’s Bureau/ACYF/ACF/HHS | 800.394.3366 | Email: info@childwelfare.gov | https://www.childwelfare.gov 3

they had experienced maltreatment (Hamby 

et al., 2010). The child self-report data from 

NATSCEV aligns with research estimates 

showing an overlap between incidences of 

child maltreatment and domestic violence. 

Several methodological inconsistencies across 

existing studies make it difficult to determine 

more precise rates of co-occurrence, 

including differences in sampling sources, 

varying definitions of maltreatment, the use 

of single-informant reporting sources, and 

disparities in reporting periods (Appel & 

Holden, 1998).

IMPACT OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON 

CHILDREN

Children and youth who have been exposed to 

domestic violence are more likely than their 

peers to experience a range of difficulties. 

These challenges can include behavioral 

and emotional struggles that impact their 

social relationships with children and adults, 

cognitive problems that interfere with skill 

development and school performance, 

and long-term physical and mental health 

problems. (For more information on the 

potential negative effects of domestic violence 

on children, visit the National Child Traumatic 

Stress Network website.)

Several factors influence the impact of 

domestic violence on children, including 

the nature of the violence, the age and 

gender of the child, the amount of time 

that has elapsed since the child’s exposure 

to violence, and the presence of child 

maltreatment. It is important to note 

that not all children exposed to domestic 

violence experience negative effects, in 

part due to protective factors such as social 

competence and supportive relationships 

with adults (Martinez-Torteya et al., 2009). 

Building protective factors in children and 

their families can increase resiliency in the 

short term and promote skills, personal 

characteristics, knowledge, relationships, 

and opportunities that contribute to positive 

long-term outcomes. 

Information Gateway’s bulletin, Promoting 

Protective Factors for Children Exposed to 

Domestic Violence: A Guide for Practitioners, 

reviews research linking protective factors to 

well-being in children exposed to domestic 

violence, while the issue brief, Protective 

Factors Approaches in Child Welfare, provides 

an overview of protective factors approaches 

to the prevention and treatment of child 

abuse and neglect.

RESPONDING TO DOMESTIC 

VIOLENCE 

The extensive overlap between domestic 

violence and child maltreatment requires 

a specialized and coordinated response 

in child welfare casework. The following 

guiding principles serve as a foundation 

for child protection practices with families 

experiencing domestic violence (Toussaint, 

2006; Turner et al, 2015; Greenbook 

Evaluation Team, 2008): 

 Identify and assess domestic violence at 

every stage of the child protection process 

for all child welfare cases.

 Make every reasonable effort to keep 

children in the care of the nonoffending 

parent.

 Provide services to families where domestic 

violence has been identified (even if 

child abuse has not been substantiated), 

including helping survivors protect 
Children’s Bureau/ACYF/ACF/HHS | 800.394.3366 | Email: info@childwelfare.gov | https://www.childwelfare.gov 4

themselves and their children using 

supportive and empowering interventions 

whenever possible.

 Hold people who use violence solely 

accountable for stopping their behavior and 

connect them with services that address 

their abusive actions.

 Collaborate with community partners, such 

as DVS advocates and law enforcement 

officials.

Historically, cases involving domestic violence 

and child maltreatment were addressed 

using two different service agencies, and 

research suggests that some of the challenges 

created by this systemic divide still impact 

practice. One study showed that only 43 

percent of child welfare agencies screen all 

families referred to the child welfare system 

for domestic violence (Hazen et al., 2007). 

An analysis of caseworker interviews from 

the National Survey of Child and Adolescent 

Well-Being found that frontline workers 

accurately identified domestic violence 

in roughly 10 percent of cases and made 

referrals for services in 60 percent of cases 

where domestic violence was identified (Kohl 

et al., 2005). Additionally, while 25 percent 

of families receiving in-home child welfare 

services reported domestic violence, only 15 

percent received services that specifically 

addressed the violence (Casanueva et al., 

2014). 

These findings highlight the need for 

increased training on domestic violence 

screening and service provision as well as the 

potential benefits of agencies harnessing the 

expertise of DVS advocates, who can shed 

light on the domestic violence dynamics that 

are present in child welfare cases. 

INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION

The child welfare field is increasingly 

recognizing the value of a cross-system 

approach to improving practice, services, and 

outcomes for children who experience domestic 

violence. Successful collaboration between 

DVS advocates and child welfare service 

providers hinges on the ongoing exchange 

of knowledge and resources through the 

colocation of staff, cross-system trainings, and 

technical assistance. There are currently two 

predominant models that child welfare agencies 

use as the bases for their collaboration efforts: 

Evidence-based Practices and 

Interventions

See Information Gateway’s web section on 

Casework Practice With Families Affected 

by Domestic Violence for information on 

evidence-based programs as well as State 

and local examples of promising practices.

Promising Futures: Best Practices for 

Serving Children, Youth, and Parents 

Experiencing Domestic Violence is a 

website sponsored by the Family and 

Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) that features 

a searchable database of evidence-based 

interventions and promising practices for 

serving children exposed to domestic 

violence. 

The California Evidence-Based 

Clearinghouse for Child Welfare rates the 

effectiveness of select domestic violence 

interventions for people who use violence 

and adult and child survivors.
Children’s Bureau/ACYF/ACF/HHS | 800.394.3366 | Email: info@childwelfare.gov | https://www.childwelfare.gov 5

 Colocated model: In this model, colocated 

staff are typically employed through domestic 

violence services providers and spend time 

in the local child welfare office working 

directly with caseworkers to enhance service 

provision and provide advocacy for children 

exposed to domestic violence. The role of a 

colocated domestic violence specialist varies 

and may involve assisting with safety and case 

planning, facilitating information sharing, 

and advising on adherence to confidentiality 

protocols. 

 Domestic violence consultant model: With 

this approach, the child welfare agency 

hires a domestic violence consultant to 

train and coach staff on how to improve 

practice for domestic violence cases and 

identify the needs of children and families 

impacted by domestic violence. Consultants 

can help caseworkers identify the effects 

of domestic violence on children, develop 

safety-planning protocols that hold offending 

parents accountable, create collaborative 

partnerships with nonoffending parents, and 

support the needs of children while keeping 

them with the nonoffending parent when 

possible. 

In addition to establishing partnerships 

between child welfare workers and DVS 

professionals, agencies should work to 

build and sustain relationships with other 

community stakeholders, such as school and 

court systems, law enforcement, behavioral 

health providers, and other child and family 

supports and services. Communitywide 

collaboration is often facilitated by domestic 

violence coalitions, which provide training and 

technical assistance to local domestic violence 

programs on coordinating statewide services. 

Each of the 56 U.S. States and territories has a 

Domestic Violence Coalition that works with 

programs funded by FYSB as part of the Family 

Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVSPA). 

The coalition working with programs in your 

community can be found on the State & U.S. 

Territory Coalitions section of the National 

Network to End Domestic Violence website. 

The FVSPA also funds a network of culturally 

specific resource centers that work to 

address the impact of domestic violence and 

provide culturally relevant resources for the 

African American, Asian and Pacific Islander, 

Hispanic, and Indian and Alaska Native Tribal 

communities. More information is available 

on the Resource Centers section of the FYSB 

website.

Collaboration Resources

DVS advocates can find an overview of basic 

child welfare services and collaboration 

resources in Information Gateway’s 

factsheet, What Is Child Welfare? A Guide 

for Domestic Violence Services Advocates.

For detailed guidance on how child 

welfare workers and DVS advocates can 

collaborate in the workplace, including 

information on promising programs, see the 

Child Protection in Families Experiencing 

Domestic Violence (2nd ed.) user manual 

and the Partnering With Child Protection 

Agencies section of the Promising Futures: 

Best Practices for Serving Children, Youth, 

and Parents Experiencing Domestic 

Violence website.
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DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSE

Differential response—also called alternative 

response, multiple response, or dual track—

emphasizes a broad assessment of a family’s 

situation in response to a child protective 

services report, followed by a determination 

of whether the family can be helped from 

voluntary services while maintaining 

children in the home. Differential response 

pathways encourage a help-seeking approach 

and may be especially appropriate for 

families experiencing domestic violence. In 

jurisdictions where differential response is 

utilized, nonoffending parents who engage 

child welfare agencies are not at risk for being 

deemed neglectful when their children have 

witnessed domestic violence—a scenario that 

paves the way for these families to benefit 

from community resources (Cross et al., 2012). 

Depending on legislation or agency policies, 

eligibility criteria for differential response 

vary by State, or even by jurisdiction within 

a State. Some agencies include a specialized 

noninvestigative pathway for families dealing 

with domestic violence. These tracks enable 

caseworkers to develop safety plans for 

families who have experienced domestic 

violence and to connect them with specialized 

community services, (County of Olmsted, 

2015).

For more information on differential response 

in child welfare, read Information Gateway’s 

factsheet, Differential Response: A Primer 

for Child Welfare Professionals, and visit 

Information Gateway’s Differential Response 

in Child Protective Services web section.

FAMILY ASSESSMENTS

When domestic violence is identified and a 

case is screened in for services, caseworkers 

are tasked with assessing safety and risk in 

the household. A whole-family approach 

should be used to assess a household’s 

relational dynamics—meaning that the 

caseworker should interview and observe 

adult and child survivors, the offending 

parent, and all other individuals living in the 

home. Special considerations should be made 

when gathering information from families 

experiencing domestic violence, including the 

importance of making initial contact with the 

adult who has experienced violence when the 

offending parent is not present, the necessity 

of interviewing family members separately 

and privately, and the caseworker’s own safety 

when interviewing the offending parent. 

Following initial assessments, caseworkers 

should work directly with the nonoffending 

parent—and children, when appropriate—

to put together a safety plan that includes 

strategies aimed at holding the offending 

parent accountable for his or her actions. 

Once accountability measures are in place, 

the caseworker should have ongoing contact 

with survivors to assess their current level of 

safety. Unlike other child welfare cases, the 

caseworker will work with the person who has 

used violence separately to incorporate him 

or her into the service plan, assess progress, 

and adjust services based on the evolving 

conditions. For more information on using 

family engagement strategies in casework 

practice, see Information Gateway’s bulletin, 

Family Engagement: Partnering With Families 

to Improve Child Welfare Outcomes.
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TRAUMA-FOCUSED APPROACH 

TO SERVICE PROVISION

Children and families who have experienced 

domestic violence often benefit from traumainformed practice—meaning services and 

programs specifically designed to address 

and respond to the impact of traumatic 

stress (Wilson, 2013). A child welfare system 

utilizing a trauma-informed approach 

routinely screens children and caregivers for 

trauma, uses evidence-based programs to 

treat symptoms associated with traumatic 

stress, and works to increase resilience and 

strengthen the protective factors of children 

and caregivers to support the overall family 

unit. Signed into law in 2018, the Family First 

Prevention Services Act mandates that all 

services provided to families involved in the 

child welfare system be trauma informed. 

When developing trauma-informed service 

plans, caseworkers should understand that 

children’s experiences of domestic violence 

vary. Some only need minimal supports, 

while others, including children who 

witness domestic violence at an early age 

and those exposed to severe and prolonged 

violence, are at greater risk for developing 

trauma-related responses (National Center 

on Domestic Violence, Trauma and Mental 

Health, 2017). Caseworkers should also 

consider the potential presence of complex 

trauma, which can occur in children exposed 

to multiple traumatic events and is most 

effectively assessed by multidisciplinary 

teams that include a pediatrician, mental 

health professional, and educational specialist 

(National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 

n.d.).

Assessing Domestic Violence in 

Child Welfare Cases

The Capacity Building Center for States 

user manual, Child Protection in Families 

Experiencing Domestic Violence (2nd 

ed.), provides detailed guidance for 

caseworkers assessing domestic violence 

cases, including guidance on preparing 

for assessments, specialized strategies 

for interviewing various family members, 

and information on safety planning and 

ongoing assessments. 

To see other domestic violence 

assessment tools for caseworkers, visit the 

Assessing Child Exposure to Domestic 

Violence section of the Information 

Gateway website.
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Serving Children and Families in 

Times of Widespread Crisis

Widespread crises, such as the coronavirus 

pandemic, present unique challenges for 

families dealing with domestic violence. 

Added emotional and financial stress can 

exacerbate existing abusive behaviors 

and create circumstances in which family 

safety is further compromised, while 

existing societal inequities may limit 

survivor mobility and access to resources 

(e.g., technology, health care). At the same 

time, emergency services and alternative 

housing options may be strained or at 

capacity.

In response to these conditions, 

caseworkers must adapt their practice to 

serve children and families. The Futures 

Without Violence website, a service of 

FYSB, has compiled a list of resources

for families and frontline workers that are 

geared toward increasing safety and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic and 

beyond.

Resources on Trauma-Informed Care

The Promising Futures: Best Practices 

for Serving Children, Youth, and Parents 

Experiencing Domestic Violence website 

has a section devoted to trauma-informed 

care, including evidence-based programs 

and other materials on the subject.

The National Online Resource Center 

on Violence Against Women, a service 

of the National Resource Center on 

Domestic Violence, offers a special 

collection of resources called Fostering 

Resilience, Respect and Healthy Growth 

in Child Welfare and Beyond. The 

collection includes tools and resources 

for understanding trauma as it relates 

to child development and for exploring 

posttraumatic growth. 

For more information on trauma-informed 

child welfare practice, see Information 

Gateway’s issue brief, The Importance of a 

Trauma-Informed Child Welfare System.
Children’s Bureau/ACYF/ACF/HHS | 800.394.3366 | Email: info@childwelfare.gov | https://www.childwelfare.gov 9

CONCLUSION

The co-occurrence of domestic violence 

and child maltreatment is a serious and 

pervasive social problem associated with a 

range of short- and long-term consequences 

for children. Professionals in the field are 

increasingly acknowledging that no single 

service system has the resources to develop 

a comprehensive response to families that 

are experiencing both domestic violence and 

child maltreatment. Institutional and societal 

changes can begin to eliminate domestic 

violence only when service providers 

integrate their expertise, resources, and 

services into an expansive network. New 

practices are beginning to enhance crosssystem understanding between agencies and 

communities, and new protocols are using 

a multidisciplinary approach to fostering 

safety, resiliency, and healthier long-term 

outcomes for children and families who have 

experienced domestic violence. 

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SUGGESTED CITATION:

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2020). 

Domestic violence: A primer for child welfare 

professionals. U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services, Administration for Children 

and Families, Children’s Bureau. 

This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information 

Gateway. This publication is available online at https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/domestic-violence/.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Children and Families

Administration on Children, Youth and Families

Children’s Bureau