NCJ Number
223496
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 17 Issue: 3 Dated: May-June 2008 Pages: 174-190
Date Published
May 2008
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Findings from an exploratory and qualitative study of child welfare workers’ practice in cases involving domestic violence are presented.
Abstract
Results show that child welfare workers have different ways of intervening in cases involving domestic violence, because there are no clear guidelines as to how intervention should occur in these cases. The interventions are especially centered on women victims of violence, who are held responsible for protecting their children. The study illustrates that there is a need to develop clearer guidelines to support child welfare practices in cases of domestic violence. Also, guidance as to how workers should proceed in cases of domestic violence must be developed further. Lastly, training in the methods to be used during meetings with victims of violence and their abusers could contribute to lowering clients’ resistance to acknowledging violence and ensuring the safety of child welfare workers. Intervention by child protection services in domestic violence cases has been the subject of a few studies. Child welfare workers encounter many dilemmas when intervening in domestic violence cases. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of research undertaken among social workers practicing child welfare in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The research examines (1) the intervention methods used by child welfare workers when they meet with families exhibiting signs of domestic violence, (2) the elements which influence the decisions of the child welfare workers when they determine that a child must be placed, and (3) the factors which either facilitate or create obstacles for intervention. References