Domestic Violence Among Families with Allegations of Child Abuse or
Neglect: Evaluation of a Protocal for Identification of Domestic Violence
and Service Provision
Kathryn Conroy, DSW; Peg Hess, PhD; Randy Magen, PhD and Barbara Simon,
PhD
Concerned about the co-occurrence of child abuse/neglect and other
forms of domestic violence an inter-agency consortium in New York City
has sponsored a program to implement a new protocol developed by the Protective
Services Division of the city's Child Welfare Administration.
This protocol systematically provides for an assessment of domestic
violence in cases where there is an allegation of child abuse and/or neglect.
Provision is made for referrals to specialized services in those instances
in which domestic violence is found. The protocol is being implemented
in one zone of Manhattan. The Center is conducting the evaluation
of this new program. The evaluation is examining the prevalence of
domestic violence and child abuse/neglect as coexisting in cases investigated;
actions taken by staff when domestic violence is identified (such as referrals
to preventive services programs, domestic violence shelters, or court;
child placement, etc.); staff attitudes concerning domestic violence
and the usefulness of the protocol; and, the benefits of and obstacles
to protocol implementation. The study Principal Investigator is Dr.
Peg Hess, the Research Director is Dr. Kathryn Conroy, and Co-Investigators
are Dr. Barbara Simon and Dr. Randy Magen. The research is funded
by the Center's research development program, and external funding is being
pursued. The research was initiated in November, 1993.
The study and more recent developments were described in the 1997
issue of
Practice & Research. The project's web home
page presents considerable information regarding this topic.