Coordinated community response to domestic violence and child protection

Social Change, Leadership, And Advocacy Applied

The objective of this work is to identify at least one professional or societal problem or issue that concerns you and that would benefit from social change, leadership, and advocacy and explain why it is worthy of such efforts. This work will describe a manageable social change, leadership or advocacy goal related to the issue of domestic violence. This work will explain how and why accomplishing the goal would impact the issue.

Porter and Hall (2001) report in the work entitled "Keeping Collaboration Alive in the Criminal Justice Response to Domestic Violence" that as the criminal justice system adjusted to changes in the law and the new zero tolerance climate, it became apparent that the work of service providers and practitioners in allied fields (law enforcement, the courts, probation, social services, victim services) needed coordinating. As a result, coalitions were formed in many areas around the country, uniting representatives from relevant agencies whose mission included writing protocols, organizing training sessions, performing case management, and overseeing public relations campaigns. According to the NRC (1996), research is sparse on the effectiveness of adopting a coordinated response in a locale, though a few studies have found that domestic violence arrest rates go up after coordinated community response teams are instituted." (Porter and Hall, 2001)

I. Comprehensive Assessment

The work of Ambrosio (2008) states that it is all too often that a one-time eruption of domestic violence results in children being removed from the parent's custody and the children placed in foster care. Experts are stated to be "increasingly taking the position that a presumption in favor or against removal and neglect is not the best method of promoting the state's interest in protecting the health, safety, and welfare of children." (Ambrosio, 2008) Factors including "the frequency and intensity of the intimate partner violence, the frequency and extent of the child's exposure and each child's unique experiences and special vulnerabilities" all should be taken into account when considering whether it is appropriate to remove the child from their home due to being exposed to domestic violence. Ambrosio highlights the importance of assessment of each individual situation in making such life-altering decisions. (2008, paraphrased)

II. Collaborative Model

It is reported in the work of Hobart (2008) that the Washington State Coordinated Response Protocol Project is a collaborative effort between the "representatives from the Department of Social and Health Services, WSCADV, various state courts and other organizations to address how social services agencies, law enforcement, and the courts respond to child maltreatment and domestic violence." (Hobart, 2008) The model protocol is stated to set forth "a statewide initiative vision and specifically: "To create community-wide response systems that lead to increased safety of children, support for adult victims of domestic violence and accountability for perpetrators of domestic violence." (Hobart, 2008) The shift is one that moves from "blaming the domestic violence victim for exposing herself and her children to violence. Instead it assigns responsibility for violence to the abuser." (Hobart, 2008) In the past domestic violence, victims were required to attend a domestic violence support group and subsequently the children were left in the childcare of the perpetrator of the abuse increasing the child's risk for domestic violence.

Summary and Conclusion

The literature reviewed in this study has clearly shown the critical requirement for collaboration within the community of service providers and agencies that work with women and children who are victims of domestic violence. Because of the many factors that come into play when individuals are victims of domestic violence it is necessary that a coordinated effort be taken to address domestic violence so that children and women are protected from further abuse and that the system does not inflict further harm in the lives of these individuals.