Domestic violence in one state's child protective caseload: A study of differential case dispositions and outcomes

Abstract

Despite growing attention to the issue of children's exposure to adult domestic violence (DV) there is little systematic information available on the level of DV in the child protective caseload or on the pathways of such cases through these systems. This paper reports an examination of one state's child maltreatment reports during a 1-year period. A random sample of 2000 of cases is used to project the state's experience with cases in which DV was indicated—from initial report to case disposition—shedding a more accurate light on the child protection response. Pathways and outcomes for DV indicated cases in comparison to those in which no DV was indicated are then presented. Finally, factors that predict re-referral and placement out of home within 1 year of the target referral are compared for DV and non-DV indicated cases. The results of this study reveal that DV was indicated as present in one in five cases referred to child protective services, but in 38% of cases accepted for any level of investigation, and fully 47% of those assigned a moderate to high risk and a high level of investigation. Over half of the DV indicated cases (56%) that were assessed as a moderate to high risk at intake and fully investigated had their cases opened for services, and of these more than four out of five (81%) had at least one child removed from parental custody. Among moderate to high risk cases, those with an indication of DV were significantly more likely to have their cases opened for services and to have at least one child in the family placed in out-of-home care. The factors predicting re-referral to child protective services or placement in out-of-home care within a year after referral differed greatly for cases in which there was or was not an indication of DV. Implications of the results for child welfare practice are discussed.