Re-Entry into the Child Protection System in Relation to Domestic Violence
Allyson Messer
Winona State University- Rochester
August 2015
Author Note
Allyson N. Messer, Department of Social Work, Winona State University-Rochester
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Allyson N. Messer,
Department of Social Work, Winona State University-Rochester, 859 30th Ave SE, Rochester, Minnesota 55904
Contact: Amesser12@winona.edu
Abstract The information collected for this research focuses on the re-entry of children into the child protection system for assessment in relation to being within sight or sound of intimate partner violence also referred to as domestic violence. The sample of this research is composed of a collection of 298 assessment reports, consisting of 429 individuals from Olmsted County Child and Family Services. The data collected was specific to assessments completed by the Domestic Violence Response Team, of Olmsted County, MN, a program cooperatively ran through Family Service Rochester and Olmsted County Child and Family Services. The hypothesis of this research was supported; the early intervention and work of the Domestic Violence Response Team minimizes the re-entry of children into the child protection system in regards to being within sight or sound of domestic violence. In later sections of this paper review of related literature regarding re-entry into child protection is reviewed, limitations and implications are
There are many efforts that are made each day to ensure safety of children living in the state of Mississippi. The MS Department of Child Protection Services (MDCPS) is at the center of every community’s child protection efforts. MDCPS conducts initial assessments of reports of child abuse and/or neglect. The agency also provides other prevention services to children and families where maltreatment has occurred or is likely to occur. The adaptation of these services examines underlying conditions. These underlying conditions consist of drug and alcohol abuse, sexual molestation, poverty and cultural beliefs. MDCPS utilizes tools such as Comprehensive Family Assessments (CFA) and Family Service
Groves, B.M. (1999). Mental Health Services for Children Who Witness Domestic Violence. The Future of Children, 9(3), 122-132.
Meyer, S., (2010) Seeking Help to protect the Children? : The Influence of Children on Women’s Decisions to Seek Help When Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence. J Fam Viol 25:713-725, Springer Science +Business Media, LLC.
As previously stated, children are greatly impacted by domestic violence. The article by Lewis et al. (2017) focuses on safeguarding children from domestic violence due to the negative impact that it has on their health. There is evidence of a correlation between domestic violence and a child being mistreated. The article discusses how health professionals feel they do not have enough training in domestic violence. They used a study called Researching Education to Strengthen Primary care on Domestic Violence and Safeguarding (RESPONDS) (Lewis et al., 2017). This study used a pre-test and a posttest to see if the participants gained knowledge from the training. The article explained that, “the training aimed to fill gaps in knowledge and practice
Keeping this is mind; Justice Harrison made a statement stating that “Abraham’s anger and resentment about her own childhood has today affected her parenting.”
After many studies researchers have confirmed that when children are exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) it significantly effects their social emotional development (Hughes & Chau, 2013; Herman-Smith, 2013). This raises a concern; if IPV was to be measured emotional abuse should children be removed from their families. If we consider that the majority of children that witness IPV are under six and would not be able to fully understand what is happening we can conclude that they would not be able to report their maltreatment (Hughes & Chau, 2013). If either partner also chooses not to report the abuse it may continue and it would impact the child; the child could experience mental and behavioral problems. Therefore programs should be
Domestic violence is a widespread sociological problem wherein women and children are most often the victims. This sociological problem is compounded by the fact that so much domestic violence goes under-reported, whether against women or children. Domestic violence may take a wide range of forms and may include a variant combination of battery, sexual abuse, verbal abuse or general violence. Targets of such behaviors may include a spouse, child or both. For the purposes of this research, there will be an interest in noting the impact on children who are exposed to violence both directly as the victims of abuse or indirectly as witnesses to spousal abuse. In either instance, the same findings are anticipated. Namely, the primary thesis driving the
In this research proposal the independent variable is the involvement of Child Protective Services. Child Protective Service’s involvement is measured based on a questionnaire, which ask the participant have they ever had any previous Child Protective Service involvement, and if so when? The research will include both participants who have answered yes and no to this question. Furthermore, if the participant has answered yes, they will only be included if the Child Protective Service involvement was in the last five years.
Many children are forced to live with domestic violence because one of their parents refuses to leave the relationship. In cases of women being victims of domestic violence and failing to leave the male offender, the women are also identified as offenders and are charged with failing to protect their children from avoidable harm, regardless of the limited choices they have (Friend et al., 2008). Although domestic violence occurred in 35% of the 1,248 substantiated incidents of child maltreatment, only 31 couples were investigated for exposing a child to domestic violence or not protecting their children from the violence (Coohey, 2007). In Minnesota the parent is said to endanger the child’s mental or physical health when the child is exposed to domestic violence. When police are contacted about a domestic violence incident the investigators need to consider all types of failure to protect the child, as well as the likelihood of a domestic violence incident occurring again (Coohey, 2007). In order to determine if the children will be exposed to domestic violence in the future, the investigator needs to consider many variables. Such variables include a history of domestic violence and other types of child maltreatment, a willingness by the perpetrator to change his or her behavior, and if the perpetrator has the ability to change. Domestic
Domestic violence also greatly impacts the family structure and the relationships between the members. Domestic violence threatens both the relationship between the child and their mother and the child and their father. Children who are exposed to domestic violence do not have an emotionally available parent to foster their development and have a 30-60% higher risk for being abused by the perpetrator (NCADV, 2007); when the father is the perpetrator of the violence, he often knows little about his children, their interests, and progress in school (Crosson-Tower, 2009, p. 84). The mother’s parenting style may also be damaged from domestic violence; the perpetrator may not allow the mother to take care of her children properly or soothe them when they are upset, which can cause the children to believe their mother does not care for them. When a mother is constantly traumatized by domestic violence, it can be more difficult for her to be present and attentive in her children’s lives due to depression, anxiety, and lack of sleep (Centre for children and families in the justice system, 2009). Domestic violence has an impact on the ability for a family to function. The perpetrator may sow divisions between the members of the family by turning them against each other, or favoring one child over the others. There may also be role reversals in families who experience domestic violence; parentification of the children and infantilizing of the mother may
As a crisis responder to a domestic violence situation, the therapist would assess the immediate danger of the children and mother. The assumption would be made that Department of Social Services would have been called as well to assess the situation because the children were present during the situation. Katz, Hessler, & Annest, (2007) begin off with addressing the emotional impact domestic violence has on child. Since the case study stated that their 13 year old son had an incident at school that resulted in physical violence it would be appropriate to access if he has witnessed additional incidents between his parents. Children can develop depression, anxiety and behavioral outbursts as a result of domestic violence (Katz, Hessler,
“Parliaments and their members can and should be among the foremost champions of child protection. They can legislate, oversee government activity, allocate financial resources and, as leaders within their nations and communities, raise awareness of issues and provide advocacy.”
When faced with domestic violence these children sometimes carry on violence when they become adults or blame themselves. This article explores theories and situations that show the long term and short term effects of domestic violence. They identified 41 studies that provided relevant and adequate data for inclusion in a meta-analysis. Forty of these studies indicated that children 's exposure to domestic violence was related to emotional and behavioral problems, translating to a small overall effect (Wolfe, Crooks, Lee, McIntyre-Smith, & Jaffe, 2003).
Domestic Violence is a problem sweeping the nation. This problem can affect anyone from anywhere but is generally acting out upon children and adult women in abusive relationships. Domestic violence is emotionally and physically scarring for anyone involved, and as a result could take multiple intervention meetings to begin to understand the issue, alleviate the associated problems, and to assist the victim in getting back on his or her feet. The consequences of abuse include anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and self-harm. Children may begin to act differently to their usual behavior - withdrawal is very common, as is self-harming (Khan, 2012). There are two ways that people can consider interventions for victims of
Domestic violence has grown to become a prevalent issue within households in the United States. Being such a great issue, we come to question the percentage of children affected and the impact it has on their social development and interaction with others. It is crucial for us to understand and recognize the long term effects that domestic violence can have on adolescents.