Children’s Bureau/ACYF/ACF/HHS

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BULLETIN FOR 

PROFESSIONALS

October 2014

Domestic Violence and the 

Child Welfare System

WHAT’S INSIDE

Scope of the problem

Impact of domestic 

violence on children

Responding to domestic 

violence

Promising practices

Resources, training, and 

tools

Domestic violence is a devastating social problem 

that affects every segment of the population. 

It is critical for child welfare professionals 

and other providers who work with children 

who have experienced abuse to understand 

the relationship between domestic violence 

and child maltreatment, as many families 

experiencing domestic violence also come to 

the attention of the child welfare system. 

Increasingly, child welfare professionals, domestic 

violence victim advocates, courts, and other 

community stakeholders are working together 

to address the impact of domestic violence on 

children. This bulletin discusses the extent 

of the overlap between domestic violence and 

child welfare, some of the effects of domestic 

violence on child witnesses, and the trend 

toward a more collaborative, communitywide 

response to the issue. It also features promising 

practices from States and local communities. 
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Definitions

Domestic Violence:

The Women’s Resource and Rape Assistance Program defines domestic violence 

(http://www.wraptn.org/domestic-violence.html) as: 

“A pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and 

control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or 

psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that 

intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound 

someone. Domestic violence can happen to anyone regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or 

gender. Domestic violence affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels. Domestic 

violence occurs in both opposite-sex and same-sex relationships and can happen to intimate partners who 

are married, living together, or dating. Domestic violence not only affects those who are abused but also has a 

substantial effect on family members, friends, coworkers, other witnesses, and the community at large. Children 

who grow up witnessing domestic violence are among those seriously affected by this crime. Frequent exposure 

to violence in the home not only predisposes children to numerous social and physical problems, but also 

teaches them that violence is a normal way of life—therefore, increasing their risk of becoming society’s next 

generation of victims and abusers.” 

Intimate Partner Violence:

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines intimate partner violence (IPV) 

( ) as “physical, sexual, 

or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse. This type of violence can occur among 

heterosexual or same-sex couples and does not require sexual intimacy. IPV can vary in frequency and severity. It 

occurs on a continuum, ranging from one hit that may or may not impact the victim to chronic, severe battering.”

Family Violence

The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges’ (NCJFCJ’s) model code for family violence (http://

www.ncjfcj.org/sites/default/files/modecode_fin_printable.pdf) defines family violence as “the occurrence of 

one or more of the following acts by a family or household member, but does not include acts of self-defense: 

(a) Attempting to cause or causing physical harm to another family or household member; 

(b) Placing a family or household member in fear of physical harm; or 

(c) Causing a family or household member to engage involuntarily in sexual activity by force, threat of force, or 

duress. 

‘Family or household members’ include: 

(a) Adults or minors who are current or former spouses; 

(b) Adults or minors who live together or who have lived together; 

http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/definitions.html
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(c) Adults or minors who are dating or who have 

dated; 

(d) Adults or minors who are engaged in or who 

have engaged in a sexual relationship; 

(e) Adults or minors who are related by blood or 

adoption; 

(f) Adults or minors who are related or formerly 

related by marriage; 

(g) Persons who have a child in common; and 

(h) Minor children of a person in a relationship 

that is described in paragraphs (a) through (g).” 

For definitions of the different types of abuse, see 

Child Welfare Information Gateway’s factsheet 

What Is Child Abuse and Neglect? Recognizing 

the Signs and Symptoms at https://www.

childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/whatiscan.cfm.

Scope of the Problem

Estimates of the number of children who have been 

exposed to domestic violence each year vary. Research 

suggests that nearly 30 million children in the United 

States will be exposed to some type of family violence 

before the age of 17, and there is a 30 to 60 percent 

overlap of child maltreatment and domestic violence 

(Hamby, Finkelhor, Turner, & Ormrod, 2011; Taggart, 

2011). The most comprehensive data collected on this 

issue were gathered by the National Survey of Children’s 

Exposure to Violence (NATSCEV), sponsored by the 

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

(OJJDP) and the CDC. Researchers surveyed 4,549 

children and youth ages 17 and younger between January 

and May 2008. Findings show that more than 11 percent 

of children and youth were exposed to some form of 

family violence within the past year, and 26 percent were 

exposed to at least one form of family violence during 

their lifetimes. Extrapolating these findings to the general 

population yields an estimate of more than 8 million 

children and youth who were exposed to family violence 

in the past year and more than 18 million exposed to 

family violence during their lifetime (Hamby et al., 2011).

Large numbers of children come in contact with domestic 

violence service providers each year. Every year, the 

National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) 

conducts a 1-day, unduplicated count of adults and 

children seeking domestic violence services in the United 

States. On September 12, 2012, the NNEDV census found 

that “18,968 children and 16,355 adults found safety in 

emergency shelters and transitional housing, while 5,815 

children and 23,186 adults received advocacy and support 

through nonresidential services” (National Network to 

End Domestic Violence, 2013). 

Exposure to both domestic violence and child 

maltreatment can have immediate and, often, long-term 

impact on children and youth.

Impact of Domestic Violence on 

Children

Children who have been exposed to domestic violence 

are more likely than their peers to experience a wide 

range of difficulties, and the potential effects vary by 

age and developmental stage. The challenges faced 

by children and youth exposed to domestic violence 

generally fall into three categories: 

 Behavioral, social, and emotional problems.

Children in families experiencing domestic violence 

are more likely than other children to exhibit signs of 

depression and anxiety; higher levels of anger and/or 

disobedience; fear and withdrawal; poor peer, sibling, 

and social relationships; and low self-esteem (National 

Child Traumatic Stress Network, n.d.).

 Cognitive and attitudinal problems. Children 

exposed to domestic violence are more likely than 

their peers to experience difficulties in school and with 

concentration and task completion; score lower on 

assessments of verbal, motor, and cognitive skills; lack 

conflict resolution skills; and possess limited problemsolving skills. Children exposed to domestic violence 
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also are more likely to exhibit pro-violence attitudes 

(National Child Traumatic Stress Network, n.d.). 

 Long-term problems. In addition to higher rates of 

delinquency and substance use, exposure to domesti

iolence is also one of several adverse childhood 

experiences

v

 (ACEs) that have been shown be risk 

factors for many of the most common causes of 

death in the United States, including alcohol abuse, 

drug abuse, smoking, obesity, and more. (For more 

information, visit the Adverse Childhood Experiences

(ACE) Study website at http://www.acestudy.org.) 

c

Additional factors that influence the impact of domestic 

violence on children include:

 Nature of the violence. Children who witness 

frequent and severe forms of violence or fail to observe 

their caretakers resolving conflict may undergo more 

distress than children who witness fewer incidences of 

physical violence and experience positive interactions 

between their caregivers. 

 Age of the child. Younger children appear to exhibit 

higher levels of emotional and psychological distress 

than older children. Children ages 5 and younger may 

experience developmental regression—the loss of 

acquired skills—or disruptions in eating or sleeping 

habits. Adolescents may exhibit impulsive and/or 

reckless behavior, such as substance use or running 

away (National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 

n.d.). Age-related differences can result from older 

children’s more fully developed cognitive abilities, 

which help them to better understand the violence and 

select various coping strategies to alleviate upsetting 

symptoms. Additionally, because very young children 

are more likely to have closer physical proximity to 

and stronger emotional dependence on their mothers 

(often the victims of domestic violence), they may be 

more susceptible to and exhibit enhanced trauma 

symptoms (Levendosky, Bogat, & Martinez-Torteya, 

2013). 

 Elapsed time since exposure. Children often have 

heightened levels of anxiety and fear immediately after 

a violent event. Fewer observable effects are seen in 

children as time passes after the violent event. 

 Gender. In general, boys exhibit more externalized 

behaviors (e.g., aggression and acting out), while girls 

exhibit more internalized behaviors (e.g., withdrawal 

and depression) (Moylan et al., 2010). 

 Presence of child physical or sexual abuse. Children 

who witness domestic violence and are physically 

or sexually abused are at higher risk for emotional 

and psychological maladjustment than children who 

witness violence and are not abused (Moylan et al., 

2010). 

Despite these findings, not all children exposed to 

domestic violence will experience negative effects. 

Children’s risk levels and reactions to domestic violence 

exist on a continuum; some children demonstrate 

enormous resiliency, while others show signs of significant 

maladaptive adjustment. Protective factors such as 

social competence, intelligence, high self-esteem, 

and a supportive relationship with an adult (especially 

a nonabusive parent) can help protect children from 

the adverse effects of exposure to domestic violence 

(Martinez-Torteya, Bogat, von Eye, & Levendosky, 2009). 

It’s important for domestic violence, child welfare, and 

other child-serving professionals to understand the 

impact of trauma on child development and how to 

minimize its effects without causing additional trauma.

Child Welfare Information Gateway’s 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 at https://www.

childwelfare.gov/pubs/issue_briefs/protective_factors.

cfm.
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Resources on Building Resiliency

Promising Futures Without Violence, a national 

technical assistance provider for the U.S. Family 

and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), produced 

an infographic depicting the relationship 

among individual, family, and community 

protective factors—circumstances in families 

and communities that increase the health 

and well-being of children and families—that 

can help children heal and build resiliency: 

http://promising.futureswithoutviolence.org/

files/2014/01/Promising-Futures-InfographicFINAL.jpg. 

The Safe Start Center offers a series of 

trauma-informed care tip sheets for a variety 

of audiences, including tips for professionals 

working in domestic violence shelters, tips for 

child welfare professionals, tips for staff working 

with and engaging fathers, and more: http://web.

safestartcenter.org/resources/tip-sheets.php. 

Responding to Domestic Violence

Often families impacted by domestic violence may be 

involved with child welfare and child-serving community 

agencies. It is important to work with State domestic 

violence coalitions and local domestic violence programs 

to ensure an understanding of the dynamics of domestic 

violence, how abusive parents affect children, and how 

to support the safety of both children and nonabusive 

parents. Promising practices for building and sustaining 

community partnerships include:

 Building and sustaining relationships and 

partner¬ships with employees of other agencies and 

systems that affect family safety

 Establishing a shared vision for practice based on 

safety for all family members

 Understanding various perspectives and work 

pro¬cesses and acknowledging the experience and 

skills of staffs in other agencies

 Developing joint protocols and policies to guide 

practice

Investing in meaningful training and technical assistance 

partnerships is critical to supporting victims of domestic 

violence and their children. Domestic violence coalitions, 

local domestic violence shelter programs, Tribal domestic 

violence programs, and culturally specific communitybased organizations are all an integral part of any 

coordinated health care and social service response to 

domestic violence. 

Each State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. 

Virgin Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern 

Mariana Islands, and American Samoa have a Domestic 

Violence Coalition. These coalitions are connected 

to more than 2,000 local domestic violence programs 

receiving funding from FYSB’s Family Violence Prevention 

and Services Program (FVPSA). The domestic violence 

coalition working with programs in your community can 

be found at http://www.vawnet.org/links/state-coalitions.

php. 

Additional information about FVPSA domestic violence 

coalitions can be found at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/

programs/fysb/resource/dvcoalitions.

Addressing the issue of domestic violence requires 

a communitywide response. While there are some 

challenges to responding to this serious social problem, 

the emergence of trauma-informed care and differential 

response are fostering cross-system collaboration to 

protect children and strengthen families.

Challenges

Although adult and child victims often are found in 

the same families, child welfare and domestic violence 

programs have traditionally responded separately to 

victims. This focus on the safety and protection of only 

one victim can lead to unintended consequences. For 

example, removing children from their homes and placing 

them in out-of-home care can cause additional trauma. 
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Individual therapies focused on parents may not help 

rebuild family relationships or strengthen protective 

factors to prevent future violence or abuse. In recent 

years, however, enhanced collaboration among childand family-serving organizations and domestic violence 

programs has led to more comprehensive services 

to better meet the needs of both children and adults 

affected by domestic violence. 

One example of enhanced collaboration efforts is 

the groundbreaking Greenbook Initiative, which was 

composed of six demonstration sites working on issues 

related to the intersection of domestic violence and child 

maltreatment. The projects implemented guidelines 

and policies outlined in the 1999 publication Domestic 

Violence and Child Maltreatment Cases: Guidelines for 

Policy and Practice (the Greenbook). The demonstration 

sties were funded from 2000 to 2007, and many service 

providers, agencies, and the courts continue to 

implement guidelines put forth by the Greenbook. For 

more information, visit http://thegreenbook.info. 

A training module on the Greenbook Initiative is available 

on the website of the Center for Advanced Studies in 

Child Welfare: https://umconnect.umn.edu/p24584437/.

Still, challenges in responding to the issue of domestic 

violence and child maltreatment continue. Domestic 

violence is not always reported to authorities or 

identified by caseworkers. Of the data gathered through 

NATSCEV, authorities knew about approximately onehalf (49 percent) of the incidents of children witnessing 

domestic violence (Finkelhor, Ormrod, Turner, & Hamby, 

2012). While a majority of children with reports of abuse 

or neglect remain at home after an investigation, they 

may remain in a home where they experience domestic 

violence. The National Survey of Child and Adolescent 

Well-Being II found that one-quarter of the caregivers 

for children with reports of maltreatment—and who 

remained in the home following investigation—indicated 

having experienced domestic violence within the previous 

12 months. Caseworkers for those families identified 

active domestic violence in 1 out of 10, highlighting the 

possibility that domestic violence is underidentified in 

some child welfare cases (Casanueva, Ringeisen, Smith, & 

Dolan, 2013). 

A Trauma-Informed Approach 

Trauma-informed practice—the services and programs 

specifically designed to address and respond to the 

impact of traumatic stress—help children and families 

build resiliency and prevent further trauma. The 

importance of this approach has become especially 

evident in child welfare, since the majority of children 

and families involved with child welfare have experienced 

some form of past trauma (Wilson, 2013). A traumainformed approach means that all service providers 

share values and goals, focus on promoting healing 

and preventing further trauma, and work to identify and 

eliminate the abuse or violence that caused the trauma 

(VAWnet.org, 2013). 

One helpful resource has been made available by the 

Children’s Bureau’s National Resource Center for Child 

Protective Services (NRC CPS), which sponsored a webinar 

series focused on domestic violence and child protection. 

Audio recordings, presentation slides, and handouts from 

the series, titled “Safety Organized, Trauma-Informed, 

Solution-Focused Approaches to Domestic Violence in 

Child Protection,” are available on the NRC website at 

http://nrccps.org/special-initiatives/domestic-violence/

nrccps-webinar-domestic-violence-and-child-protectiveservices-summer-series/. 

The National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma and 

Mental Health (NCDVTMH) offers the Creating TraumaInformed Services: Tipsheet Series, which includes Tips 

for Supporting Children and Youth Exposed to Domestic 

Violence: What You Might See and What You Can Do. This 

tip sheet for child advocates outlines ways to support 

children who have been exposed to violence at home and 

tips for supporting parents as they help their children heal 

from trauma. Divided by age group—infants, toddlers, 

preschoolers; school-age children; and adolescents—the 

tip sheet lists signs and symptoms of violence exposure 

and corresponding tips for offering support. Find it at 

http://www.nationalcenterdvtraumamh.org/wp-content/

uploads/2012/05/Tipsheet_Children-Exposed_

NCDVTMH_May2012.pdf. 
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NCDVTMH also offers a trauma-informed 

approach framework for domestic violence victim 

advocacy. Find links to all three parts at http://www.

nationalcenterdvtraumamh.org/2013/04/announcing-thetrauma-informed-domestic-violence-services-specialcollection/.

Integrating Differential Response Into 

Domestic Violence Intervention 

Some experts in the field assert that families and their 

children who show minimal evidence of harm resulting 

from exposure to domestic violence, and who have other 

protective factors present in their lives, may benefit more 

from voluntary services in the community. An emerging 

child welfare practice—differential response—reflects 

this approach. Differential response (DR), also called 

alternative response, multiple response, or dual track, 

allows for more than one method of initial response from 

child protective services (CPS) to reports of abuse or 

neglect. DR child welfare practices emphasize a broad 

assessment of a family’s situation and a determination of 

whether the family can be helped while maintaining the 

children in the home using both child welfare services as 

well as services and supports outside of the child welfare 

system and dependency courts. Initially, child welfare 

systems included only two DR tracks or responses. Over 

time, however, some States (e.g., Hawaii, Minnesota, 

and Tennessee) recognized the value of additional 

tracks, and Olmsted County, MN, includes a specialized 

noninvestigative pathway for families dealing with 

domestic violence.

Depending on legislation or agency policies, eligibility 

criteria for an alternative response vary by State or even 

by jurisdiction within a State. Once CPS receives a report 

of child maltreatment, determining whether a family 

is eligible for a noninvestigative response is generally 

based on immediate safety concerns and risk for the 

children, the type of maltreatment, previous reports, age 

of the child or children, and caregiver factors. Based on 

those factors, CPS decides whether to initiate a standard 

investigation or move forward with a noninvestigative 

assessment response.

For more information on alternative or differential 

response in child welfare, read Child Welfare Information 

Gateway’s issue brief Differential Response to Reports of 

Child Abuse and Neglect at https://www.childwelfare.gov/

pubs/issue_briefs/differential_response/.

Or, visit Information Gateway’s web section Differential 

Response in Child Protective Services at https://www.

childwelfare.gov/responding/alternative/.

Collaborative Approaches

Despite their differences, child welfare advocates and 

domestic violence service providers share significant 

goals that can help bridge the gap between them. These 

include:

 Ending violence against adults and children 

 Ensuring children’s safety 

 Protecting adult victims so their children are not 

harmed by violence

 Promoting parents’ strengths

 Deferring CPS intervention—as long as child safety is 

preserved—and referring adult and child victims to 

community-based services

The National Resource Center for Permanency and Family 

Connections, formerly the National Resource Center 

for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning 

(Toussaint, 2006), suggests the following policies to align 

efforts of child abuse and domestic violence practitioners:

Identify and assess domestic violence in all child 

Provide services to families where domestic violence 

Hold perpetrators of domestic violence accountable 

To help judges hold perpetrators accountable, the 

NCJFCJ developed the Checklist to Promote Perpetrator 
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Accountability in Dependency Cases Involving Domestic 

Violence, available at http://www.ncjfcj.org/sites/default/

files/checklist-to-promote-accountability_0.pdf. 

In recent years, increased awareness of the co-occurrence 

of domestic violence and child abuse has compelled 

both child welfare systems and domestic violence 

programs to reevaluate their interventions with families 

experiencing both forms of violence. Many professionals 

now acknowledge that communities can serve families 

better by allocating resources to build partnerships 

among domestic violence service providers, child 

protective service providers, and an array of informal 

and formal systems within the community. National, 

State, and local initiatives are demonstrating that a 

collective ownership and intolerance for abuse against 

adults and children alike can form the foundation of a 

coordinated and comprehensive approach to ending 

child abuse and domestic violence. Additionally, the 

2010 reauthorization of the Child Abuse Prevention and 

Treatment Act authorized grants to develop or expand 

effective collaborations between child protective service 

and domestic violence service entities. 

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 enhancing cross-system 

understanding and interactions between agencies and 

communities. New protocols are institutionalizing change 

and ensuring that child welfare workers and domestic 

violence advocates benefit from the lessons learned by 

their predecessors and colleagues.

A collaborative approach to working with families that 

experience the co-occurrence of domestic violence and 

child maltreatment has a number of potential benefits: 

families receive more comprehensive and coordinated 

services, while avoiding redundant interviews and 

program requirements; agencies can effectively identify 

and provide appropriate services; and caseworkers can 

minimize blaming of the adult victim, hold batterers 

accountable, and advocate on behalf of all family 

members (Banks, Dutch, & Wang, 2008). To improve 

collaboration within and among systems and to engage 

new community partners in keeping families safe, 

organizations must have certain strategies. While some 

of these are described in more detail later in this bulletin, 

examples of strategies to improve collaboration include:

Collaborative learning and practice as a prelude to 

 New strategies to address issues of race, culture, and 

gender

 Greater participation by survivor mothers and children

 Greater investment in community

 Differential responses for families based on risk

 Therapeutic and other services and supports for 

mothers and children

 Greater accountability for men who batter and greater 

attention to the roles they continue to play as fathers 

and providers

 Broad, meaningful engagement of men as allies in 

protecting children (Rosewater & Goodmark, 2007)

The National Online Resource Center on Violence Against 

Women offers a list of contact information for all domestic 

and sexual violence coalitions across the country at http://

www.vawnet.org/links/state-coalitions.php.

FYSB’s Family Violence Prevention and Services Program 

(FVPSA) funds a network of culturally specific resource 

centers that work to address the impact of domestic 

violence and provide culturally specific programming 

and culturally relevant responses for the AfricanAmerican, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Hispanic 

and Latina communities. More information on FVPSA 

services and programs is available on its website at 

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/programs/

family-violence-prevention-services. 

The Asian and Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic 

Violence produced a publication that aims to share the 

voices of immigrant, refugee, and indigenous women who 

are survivors of intimate partner violence and who have 

been involved with child protective services. By gathering 

and sharing the experiences of these women, the project 

hoped the information would help with the development 

of policies, practices, and interventions that more 
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effectively address the issue of family violence. Battered 

Mothers Involved With Child Protective Services: Learning 

from Immigrant, Refugee and Indigenous Women’s 

Experiences is available here: http://www.apiidv.org/files/

Battered.Mothers.Involved.With.CPS-Report-APIIDV2003(Rev.2010).pdf. 

Responding Early: Teens and Dating Violence

Children and youth learn about healthy relationships by 

watching and modeling the relationships they witness. 

Children who are exposed to domestic violence may later 

repeat the abuse they see, thinking that it is a normal part 

of relationships. This can be especially concerning with 

young adults forging their first romantic relationships. 

Child welfare professionals, domestic violence victim 

advocates, and related professionals can work together 

to help youth understand that healthy relationships are 

nonviolent relationships, and they can help young people 

who have experienced dating violence develop resilience 

and heal.

In addition to a web section on teen dating 

violence (http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/

intimatepartnerviolence/teen_dating_violence.html), 

the CDC offers a 1-hour training for youth-serving 

organizations to help young people understand the risk 

factors of dating violence. Dating Matters: Understanding 

Teen Dating Violence Prevention is available on the CDC 

website at http://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/datingmatters/.

Other resources with information and materials on teen 

dating violence include the following:

 Child Welfare Information Gateway’s web section 

on teen dating violence prevention that offers links 

to prevention programs and other materials on the 

subject: https://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/

domviolence/prevention/teen_dating.cfm

 The National Online Resource Center on Violence 

Against Women’s resource collection on collaborative 

and multilevel approaches to the prevention of and 

response to teen dating violence: http://www.vawnet.

org/special-collections/TDV.php

 The National Center for Victims of Crime’s bulletins 

for teens that define teen dating violence and 

the signs and symptoms of abuse, in addition to 

providing information on getting help: http://www.

victimsofcrime.org/help-for-crime-victims/gethelp-bulletins-for-crime-victims/bulletins-for-teens/

dating-violence

 Break the Cycle: Empowering Youth to End Domestic 

Violence, which provides comprehensive dating abuse 

prevention programs exclusively to young people, 

including tools for action, training, and a Dating 

Violence 101 section: http://www.breakthecycle.org/

Promising Practices

The following are examples of strategies used to support

more effective collaboration between domestic violence 

services and child welfare systems.

In 2012, The National Resource Center on Domestic 

Violence, along with the U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services’ Administration for Children and FYSB, 

published Enhanced Services to Children and Youth 

Exposed to Domestic Violence: Promising Practices and 

Lessons Learned. The guide outlines promising practices 

and lessons learned from nine demonstration projects 

funded between 2005 and 2008 through FVPSA: http://

www.vawnet.org/Assoc_Files_VAWnet/ESCY-PPLLGuide.

pdf.

For specific information about addressing the 

co-occurrence of domestic violence and child 

maltreatment in State Program Improvement Plans, 

see also Child and Family Service Review Outcomes: 

Strategies to Improve Domestic Violence Responses 

in CFSR Program Improvement Plans, developed by 

the NCJFCJ in partnership with the Family Violence 

Prevention Fund and the National Resource Center for 

Child Protective Services: http://www.ncjfcj.org/sites/

default/files/cfsr%20dv_web.pdf.

The Domestic Violence Evidence Project also offers 

evidenced-based practices for domestic violence: 

http://www.dvevidenceproject.org/. 
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Integrating Domestic Violence Assessment 

and Training Into Home Visiting Programs

Enhanced Nurse Family Partnership Study [Oregon]. 

This clinical intervention is an enhancement of the 

Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) that targets at-risk, firsttime mothers-to-be, offering support from community 

nurses from the second trimester of pregnancy until the 

child reaches the age of 2. The Enhanced Nurse Family 

Partnership study incorporates intimate partner violence 

prevention (IPV) into NFP by utilizing nurses trained in IPV 

prevention. The Enhanced NFP program is centered on an 

empowerment model that provides its participants with 

strategies for meeting relationship goals and maintaining 

safety. For more information on the Enhanced Nurse 

Family Partnership Study, contact Dr. Lynette Feder, 

Portland State University at lfeder@pdx.edu.

Colocating Domestic Violence Advocates in 

Child Welfare Offices for Case Consultation 

and Supportive Services

Center for Human Services Research [New York]. As of 

2012, 37 percent of local districts in New York State have 

adopted a colocation model placing domestic violence 

advocates within child protective services offices to 

increase collaboration. In those districts, the colocated 

domestic violence advocates provide training and case 

consultation, attend joint home visits with child protective 

services workers, and participate in workgroups to define 

and clarify the roles. More information about New York’s 

collaborative approach for serving families experiencing 

both intimate partner violence and child maltreatment is 

available at http://www.albany.edu/chsr/csp-dv.shtml. 

Domestic Violence Liaison Pilot Project [New 

Jersey]. The Domestic Violence Liaison Pilot Project 

is a partnership between the Department of Children 

and Families and the New Jersey Coalition for Battered 

Women at the State level and the Division of Youth and 

Family Services (DYFS) offices and domestic violence 

programs at the county level. Domestic Violence 

Liaisons are domestic violence experts colocated at 

DYFS Offices (when available) to provide onsite case 

consultation to DYFS and support and advocacy for 

domestic violence victims and their children. The 

purpose of this collaboration is to (1) increase safety and 

improve outcomes for children and their nonoffending 

parents/caregivers in domestic violence situations and 

(2) strengthen DCF/DYFS capacity to provide effective 

assessments and intervention for families in domestic 

violence situations. More information on this project is 

available at http://www.law.capital.edu/uploadedFiles/

Law_School/NCALP/NJ%20FINAL%20DV%20Case%20

Practice%20Protocol%20Oct%20%202009.pdf.

Developing Cross-System Protocols and 

Partnerships to Ensure Coordinated Services 

and Responses to Families 

West Virginia Collaborative: West Virginia has 

implemented new statutes, rules, case law, and 

departmental policies that eradicated the “failure to 

protect” doctrine and replaced it with innovative new 

ways to empower victims of domestic violence, hold 

batterers accountable, and increase safety for children. 

The change required a collaborative, strength-based, 

systemic change effort that now enables child protective 

service workers to partner with adult victims of domestic 

violence and empower them to protect their children by 

(1) removing the term “failure to protect” from all agency 

policies, (2) permitting the adult victims to co-petition 

with the State, and (3) allowing the State to request a 

no-fault battered parent adjudication if co-petitioning 

is not the best option. For more information, go to the 

Collaborative Projects link and click on Child Victimization 

on the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence 

website: http://www.wvcadv.org/.

PALS Expansion Project [New Jersey]: The New 

Jersey Coalition for Battered Women leads an 

innovative partnership between child welfare, domestic 

violence shelters, and mental health professionals that 

established a model program for children who have 

been exposed to domestic violence. The Peace: A 

Learned Solution (PALS) program provides children 

ages 3 through 12 with creative arts therapy to help 

them heal from exposure to domestic violence. The 

PALS Expansion project works with 11 counties to 

ensure that the therapeutic intervention provided 

is evidence-based and provides intensive technical 
Domestic Violence and the Child Welfare System https://www.childwelfare.gov

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assistance and training to improve practice. For more 

information, visit http://promising.futureswithoutviolence.

org/advancing-the-field/communities-in-action/

new-jersey-coalition-for-battered-women/.

The San Diego Family Justice Center [San Diego, CA]. 

The Family Justice Center was launched by the City of 

San Diego to assist victims of family violence. It was the 

first comprehensive “one-stop shop” in the nation for 

victims of family violence and their children. More than 

25 agencies under one roof provide coordinated legal, 

social, and health services to women, men, children, and 

families in need. There, victims of family violence can 

talk to an advocate, get a restraining order, plan for their 

safety, talk to a police officer, meet with a prosecutor, 

receive medical assistance, receive information on shelter, 

and get help with transportation. For more information, 

visit http://www.sandiegofjc.org.

Cross Training Domestic Violence and Child 

Welfare Advocates

Families First [Michigan]. Families First is an intensive, 

short-term crisis intervention and family education 

services program—a core service of the Michigan 

Department of Human Services for the State’s 83 

counties. In 1993, Families First asked the Governor’s 

Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment Board 

(DVPTB) to provide domestic violence in-service training 

seminars for family preservation workers. Families First 

and DVPTB worked together to develop extensive cross 

training, and in 1995, Michigan became the first State to 

institutionalize mandatory domestic violence training for 

family preservation workers and supervisors. Ten federally 

recognized Indian reservations also make referrals to 

Families First. For more information, visit http://www.

michigan.gov/dhs/0,1607,7-124-5452_7124_7210-15373--

,00.html.

Summary

The co-occurrence of domestic violence and child 

maltreatment is a serious and pervasive social problem. 

The adverse effects of domestic violence on children 

can include behavioral, social, emotional, and cognitive 

problems that may last into adulthood. A literature 

review reveals general agreement that the most effective 

approach to reducing domestic violence is based on 

comprehensive partnerships within and among child- and 

family-serving systems. Only by cooperating with one 

another can these systems ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and families.

Resources, Training, and Tools

Futures Without Violence (formerly, the Family Violence 

Prevention Fund) provides educational materials and 

participates in community-based programs and public 

policy work focused on ending domestic and sexual 

violence. The organization offers a number of resources 

for family- and child-serving programs and professionals: 

 Connect:SupportingChildrenExposedtoDomestic

Violenceis a 3-hour training with related tools for 

use in child welfare settings with caregivers at all 

levels of experience in caring for children who have 

been exposed to domestic violence. http://www.

futureswithoutviolence.org/connect-supportingchildren-exposed-to-domestic-violence//

 HealthyMoms,HappyBabies:ATraintheTrainer

CurriculumonDomesticViolence,Reproductive

CoercionandChildrenExposed supports States 

and their home-visitation programs in developing 

core competency strategies, ensuring that all home 

visitation programs are equipped to help women 

and children living in homes with domestic violence. 

http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/userfiles/

file/HealthCare/Healthy%20Moms%20Happy%20

Babies%203-7-13.pdf

 PromisingFutures:BestPracticesfor

ServingChildren,Youth,andParents

ExperiencingDomesticViolence(http://www.

PromisingFuturesWithoutViolence.org) is a website 

developed by Futures Without Violence designed 

to help domestic violence advocates enhance their 

programming for children and their mothers. The 

website includes:

i
Domestic Violence and the Child Welfare System https://www.childwelfare.gov

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○ Strategies for strengthening program capacity 

to deliver developmentally appropriate, traumainformed, and effective programming

○ Strategies for collaborating with community 

partners

○ Information and resources on protective factors, 

resilience, and interventions that strengthen the 

mother-child bond

Guidance on program evaluation and adaptation

○

○

Resources and guidance on working with culturally 

diverse families

○ Training curricula, research articles, and other tools 

for advocates and parents/caregivers

For more information on the work of and resources of 

Futures Without Violence, visit 

http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/.

The Chadwick Trauma-Informed Systems Project 

(CTISP) identifies effective treatments and develops 

specialized service delivery models to serve victims of 

child abuse and children exposed to domestic violence 

who are involved with child welfare. 

http://www.chadwickcenter.org/CTISP/ctisp.htm

The National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & 

Mental Health offers training and technical assistance, 

publications, research, and other supports to domestic 

violence advocates and related professionals in the fields 

of mental health, substance use, and the courts. 

http://www.nationalcenterdvtraumamh.org/

The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court 

Judges provides resources, knowledge, and training to 

professionals involved with juvenile, family, and domestic 

violence cases to help improve the lives of families and 

children. NCJFCJ resources include the following: 

 Reasonable Efforts Checklist for Dependency Cases 

Involving Domestic Violence (RE Checklist): The RE 

Checklist describes the dynamics of domestic violence, 

how domestic violence affects parenting, and the 

interrelationships between domestic violence and 

substance abuse and mental health, and it provides 

information on what constitutes reasonable efforts 

in a dependency case involving domestic violence. 

http://www.ncjfcj.org/sites/default/files/reasonable%20

efforts%20checklist_web2010.pdf

 Checklist to Promote Perpetrator Accountability in 

Dependency Cases Involving Domestic Violence

(Accountability Checklist): The Accountability Checklist 

provides information to help dependency courts 

intervene with perpetrators of domestic violence in 

ways that promote accountability and the safety of 

the children and victim parent. The Accountability 

Checklist provides a framework to hold perpetrators 

accountable, identify and provide appropriate services, 

and improve judicial decision-making. http://www.

ncjfcj.org/sites/default/files/checklist-to-promoteaccountability_0.pdf

 Resource Center on Domestic Violence: Child 

Protection and Custody provides technical assistance, 

training, and resource development. To request 

technical assistance, email fvdinfo@ncjfcj.org, or call 

800-52-PEACE (800.527.3223).

For more information on the NCJFCJ, visit its website at 

http://www.ncjfcj.org/.

The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence

works to improve the community response to domestic 

violence and prevent its occurrence by providing technical 

assistance, training, and resource development through 

its key initiatives: 

 Building Comprehensive Solutions to Domestic 

Violence provides a victim-defined framework for 

creating solutions to domestic violence. 

http://www.bcsdv.org/

 AWnet, the National Online Resource Center on 

Violence Against Women, offers a resource library with 

thousands of materials on domestic violence, sexual 

violence, funding, research, and more. 

http://www.vawnet.org/

For more information, visit the NRCDV website: 

http://www.nrcdv.org/
Domestic Violence and the Child Welfare System https://www.childwelfare.gov

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References

Banks, D., Dutch, N., & Wang, K. (2008). Collaborative 

efforts to improve systems response to families who 

are experiencing child maltreatment and domestic 

violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23(7), 

876–902.

Casanueva, C., Ringeisen, H., Smith, K., & Dolan, M. (2013). 

NSCAW Child Well-Being Spotlight: Parents reported 

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violence. OPRE Report #2013-04, Washington, 

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parentsinhome_v2.pdf

Finkelhor, D., Ormrod, R., Turner, H., & Hamby S. (2012). 

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Hamby, S., Finkelhor, D., Turner, H., & Ormrod, R. (2011). 

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Acknowledgment: 

This bulletin was developed with help and support from 

the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges 

and the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence. 

This document is made possible by the Children’s Bureau, 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The 

conclusions discussed here are solely the responsibility 

of the authors and do not represent the official views or 

policies of the funding agency.

Suggested citation:

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2014). Domestic 

violence and the child welfare system. Washington, 

DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 

Children’s Bureau

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Administration for Children and Families 

Administration on Children, Youth and Families 

Children’s Bureau