Domestic violence and pathways into child welfare services: Findings from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being

Abstract

Domestic violence (DV) and child maltreatment co-occur in many families and this may lead to involvement with child welfare services (CWS). This study explores the role of domestic violence in CWS using data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, a large, national probability sample of families investigated for child maltreatment. It relies on child welfare worker report of active DV or a history of DV to examine the association of DV with child maltreatment type, substantiation, and placement of children into out of home care. Maltreatment type classification was similar for children with and without exposure to DV. Families with active DV were substantiated for child maltreatment at higher rates than other groups, but DV was not a powerful contributor to the CWS decision-making process. Families with co-occurring DV and maltreatment often had high levels of cumulative risks, and children in families with the highest level of cumulative risk were 10 times more likely to be placed into foster care than children in families assessed with low levels of risk. The policy and practice implications of these findings are discussed.