child and family service review outcomes: strategies to improve domestic violence responses in cfsr...
TRANSCRIPT
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