{"id":32175,"date":"2024-12-19T18:30:50","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T18:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/caseyfamilyv2.wpengine.com\/child-welfare-domestic-violence-collaboration\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T23:08:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T23:08:43","slug":"bienestar-infantil-colaboracion-en-materia-de-violencia-domestica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casey.org\/es\/child-welfare-domestic-violence-collaboration\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfC\u00f3mo pueden los servicios de protecci\u00f3n infantil colaborar con otros sistemas para apoyar a las familias que sufren violencia dom\u00e9stica?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Summary<\/h3>\n

This brief explores domestic violence impacts and provides a framework for better collaboration between child protection, advocates, and the legal system.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Domestic violence is a serious public health issue that requires a strong network of community-based prevention and support. While child protection agencies are responsible for keeping children safe from harm, assuming a parent who has experienced domestic violence is a perpetrator of child abuse is inaccurate, leading to unwarranted and potentially damaging interventions that result in more trauma for both the child and the family.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

— David Sanders, Executive Vice President, Systems Improvement, Casey Family Programs<\/cite><\/figcaption>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n
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Child maltreatment and domestic abuse are both traumatic experiences that significantly impact child and family well-being.1<\/sup><\/a> While these are distinct forms of abuse that may co-occur,2<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0they are not one and the same, and may be incorrectly conflated. Issues affecting families that experience both child maltreatment and domestic abuse are complex, and a greater understanding of the intersection between child maltreatment and domestic abuse<\/a> is needed to better support families. In particular, it is critical to end the historical practice of conflating domestic abuse with child maltreatment, and unnecessarily reporting<\/a>, investigating families, or removing children from their families solely because parent-to-parent (or partner-to-partner) violence is present in the home. Instead, alternatives to mandatory reporting<\/a> should be considered, and comprehensive community-based prevention and intervention programs that effectively address the safety and well-being of children and families are needed. To provide holistic support to children and families, child protection agencies must meaningfully collaborate<\/a> with courts, domestic violence agencies, and other entities that offer resources related to housing, poverty, and behavioral health.<\/p>\n

Historically, child protection agencies and domestic violence programs have not always collaborated in serving families. They usually operate in separate parts of the legal system as well, creating additional challenges for families to navigate. This brief summarizes the impacts of domestic violence on families, discusses collaboration challenges, and provides strategies for better connecting child protection agencies with domestic violence agencies and the courts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Understanding the impacts of domestic violence<\/h2>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Language Matters<\/h3>\n

In this brief,\u00a0the terms \u201cdomestic violence\u201d and \u201cdomestic abuse\u201d<\/a>\u00a0are used interchangeably to refer to a pattern of abusive behavior by an individual toward an intimate partner to gain and maintain power and control.<\/p>\n

While the terms \u201cdomestic violence\u201d and \u201cintimate partner violence\u201d are used more widely in the U.S., \u201cdomestic abuse\u201d is used in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to acknowledge that\u00a0abusive behavior is not limited to physical violence<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 it can include sexual, emotional, economic, psychological, or technological patterns of threatening or coercive behavior.<\/p>\n

Language evolves<\/a>, and therefore being intentional about the words we use, based on dialogue with those most impacted, is essential.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Impacts on children<\/h3>\n

Children may be exposed to domestic violence<\/a> both directly (when they witness violence or are physically harmed as a result of the violence, either accidentally or on purpose) and indirectly (when they overhear abusive communication between partners, experience the aftermath of an incident, or hear about it through other avenues of communication). While the impact of this exposure varies depending on the child and the circumstances, any exposure to domestic abuse can be traumatic for children and lead to negative outcomes such as:3<\/sup><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n