Child and Family Service Review Outcomes:Strategies to Improve Domestic

Violence Responses in CFSRProgram Improvement Plans

FVPF and NRCCPS WebinarSeptember 23, 2009

Presenters

• Lonna DavisChildren’s Program DirectorFamily Violence Prevention Fund

• Theresa CostelloDirector, National Resource Center forChild Protective Services

• Shellie TaggartAuthor

How did we get here?

Child and Family Service Review

• Adoption and Safe Families Act (1997)– Changed the focus of federal

reviews of child protection agencies to OUTCOMES for children and families

• Safety• Permanency• Well-Being

– Engaged states as partners in the process

– Provided for technical assistance, and accountability for non-compliance

Child and Family Service Review

• Statewide assessment (with stakeholders)

• In-person review of 65 cases across 3 sites in the state (foster care and in-home), with interviews of involved parties

• Report with findings

• Program Improvement Plan (PIP)

– 2 year plan focused on systemic changes

– Roadmap for ultimately achieving outcomes

www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring/index.htm

Goal

• Improve Safety, Permanency, and Well-Being outcomes for children and their families in which domestic violence* is occurring

– Improve CPS practice and policy– Enhance systems of care– Build effective partnerships

between DV and CPS

*Intimate partner violence, including coercive control

Child and Family Service Review

• Safety– Children are protected from

abuse and neglect– Children are safely maintained

in their homes whenever possible and appropriate

• Permanency– Children have permanency and stability in their

living situations.

– The continuity of family relationships and connections is preserved for families.

Child and Family Service Review

• Well-Being

– Families have enhanced capacity to provide for their children’s needs.

– Children receive appropriate services to meet their educational needs.

– Children receive adequate services to meet their physical and mental health needs.

DV/CFSR Paper Strategies

• Make explicit connections between best CPS/DV policy and practice to Safety, Permanency, and Well-Being

• Summarize research on children and domestic violence

• Provide guidance on how CPS will know when they are getting it right

• Suggest how DV/CPS collaborations can focus their efforts in current budget climate

Co-occurrence: Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment

• Over 100 studies available• Most studies found 30% to 60%

overlap, 41% was median• High rates of overlap found in:

– Child fatality reviews (41% - 43%)– Abused child studies– Battered mother studies

Edleson (1999b), Appel & Holden (1998)

Domestic Violence and Repeat

Child Maltreatment

• Review of 20 (second-round) CFSR Final Reports in April 2009

– Seven (35%) make a connection between domestic violence and repeat maltreatment

– In MA, one office reviewed all repeat maltreatment cases for 6 months, and found that 70% involved domestic violence

Domestic Violence within Child Protection

• Child protection system (CPS) case workers identify a history of domestic violence in 45% of families when active universal screening (using formal policies, procedures, and tools) for domestic violence occurs.

– Greenbook Demonstration Initiative, 2004

• May be physically hurt during assault against mother (accidently or purposefully)

• May be neglected, particularly when DV is severe

• May be sexually assaulted by DV offender (as well as mother)

• May be exposed to domestic violence and other co-occurring issues, e.g. substances

• May be exposed to domestic violence without other forms of maltreatment

How Children Enter CPS

Child Exposure to Domestic ViolenceChildren may:• Hear the violence, name

calling, intimidation, threats, disrespect

• Feel the tension• See the aftermath—broken

furniture, injuries to their mother, father being taken away by police

• Be used to relay messages, keep tabs on mother, harass mother after separation

Child Exposure to Domestic Violence

Children may:

• May have their own safety or well-being threatened—threats to kill, threats to call CPS (removal), threats of kidnapping or never seeing their mother again

• Be forced to participate in or watch the abuse of their mother

• Directly witness assault, rape of their mother

• Witness homicide of their mother

• Be injured or killed themselves, directly or as a result of intervening on their mother’s behalf

Differential Impact of ExposureFactors

• Severity and frequency of violence

• Age, and age at first exposure

• Length of time since exposure

• Co-occurrence of exposure and child abuse

• How child understands the violence

• Child’s own temperament

• Presence of consistent and caring adults

• Opportunities for healing and success

• Assets in the community

Implications for CPS Practice

• Screen all families for domestic violence

• When domestic violence is identified, conduct danger/safety and risk assessment specific to DV

• Demonstrate nexus between domestic violence and impact on child

• Increase safety of the non-offending parent and child together

• Tailor CPS intervention to the family based on the specific needs of the child

• Engage domestic violence offender to hold him accountable for harm to the child

Safety Outcomes

• Children are protected from abuse and neglect– Clarify thresholds and definitions related to domestic

violence, and use them consistently in practice

– Conduct universal screening

– Assess nature, frequency, severity of violence

– Implement domestic violence best practice to avoid increasing danger or risk

Safety Outcomes

• Children are safely maintained in their homes when possible and appropriate– Increase safety of non-offending parent

and child together by providing resources and holding DV offender responsible

– Establish family engagement and family team meeting strategies that keep children and mothers safe

– Provide workers specialized consultation for planning for DV cases

Permanency Outcomes

• Children have permanency and stability in their living situations.– Screen foster and adoptive families for domestic

violence

– For relative placements, explore loyalties and potential fears of domestic violence offender

– Provide training to foster and kin caregivers on supporting children exposed to domestic violence

– Establish DV reasonable efforts criteria

Permanency Outcomes

• The continuity of family relationships and connections is preserved for families.– Explore natural support system of child and recruit

placement resources based on existing relationships

– Establish guidelines for separate and safe visits for non-offending parent and domestic violence offender

– Explore availability and appropriateness of non-resident parent to provide a home or respite for the child

Well-Being Outcomes

• Families have enhanced capacity to provide for their children’s needs.– Provide funding for basic needs

– Refer individuals to appropriate services (avoid anger management, couples counseling, routine psychological evaluations, in home services that are not trained in domestic violence intervention)

– Support and encourage parents, when safe to do so, to talk to their child about the violence

– Develop a trauma-informed system of care

Well-Being Outcomes

• Children receive appropriate educational services.– Engage schools in development of screening tools

and processes for children exposed to domestic violence.

– Ensure that impact of exposure to violence is considered in development of IEPs

Well-Being Outcomes

• Children receive adequate services to meet their physical and mental health needs.– Establish basic screening for exposure to domestic

violence as a core function for all contracted services

– Fund/build capacity in domestic violence programs to serve children

– Fund trauma evaluations when needed

Systemic Factors

Collaborate with DV partners in:

• Data collection– Collect and analyze prevalence and practice level

data

• Training– Provide integrated, progressive skill development

• Case planning– Write separate plans for DV offender and non-

offending parent

Systemic Factors

Collaborate with DV partners in:• Quality Assurance efforts

– Conduct DV case reviews• System of care development

– Therapeutic services for children, children and mother together

– Highly skilled in home workers who are trained in domestic violence intervention

– Advocacy services for the non-offending parent– Batterer intervention services, responsible fatherhood

programs for the DV offender– Culturally specific services– Supervised visitation– Gender-specific substance abuse and mental health

services

Resources

• The Greenbook Demonstration Initiativewww.thegreenbook.info

• National Latino Alliance for the Elimination of Domestic Violencewww.dvalianza.org

• Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community www.dvinstitute.org

Resources

• Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence www.apiahf.org

• National Resource Center on Domestic Violencewww.nrcdv.org

• Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abusewww.mincava.umn.edu

Resources

• National Resource Center on Child Protective Services www.nrccps.org

• Family Violence Prevention Fundwww.endabuse.org

• National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Family Violence Departmentwww.ncjfcj.org

and Technical Assistance