NCJ Number
162291
Journal
Children's Voice Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Dated: (Spring 1996) Pages: 4-6
Date Published
1996
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article documents the presence of child abuse in a high percentage of families where there is spouse abuse and suggests the implications of this fact for child protection services.
Abstract
A review of relevant studies shows that child abuse and spouse abuse overlap in at least half of all cases. Because domestic violence, by itself, is not reportable under most State statutes, its importance is often minimized in evaluating child safety. Warning signs of child abuse are missed because agency policies do not encourage workers to address domestic violence, workers are not trained to recognize its signs, and they are not sure how to respond when they do recognize them. In situations of domestic violence, many common child protection practices can increase the risk to both women and children. Counseling is valuable, but it is no substitute for a court order or even an arrest when safety is at stake. Working with the whole family together, another practice that is valuable in many other cases, may lead to violent retribution for the disclosure of "family secrets." Child protection workers must work with police, the courts, and domestic violence advocates to establish specific safety plans that take the whole family into consideration. Counseling and treatment approaches for batterers must be balanced with legal intervention as necessary. Several jurisdictions and national bodies have already established models of collaborative intervention. States and counties are beginning to take the effect on children into account when sentencing perpetrators of domestic violence, as well as asking courts to consider evidence of partner violence when deciding child custody and visitation issues.