Resources

Research

• Consequences of Childhood Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence: Final Technical Report
  This project was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Justice, Office of JusticePrograms, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

• Female Caregivers' Experiences with Intimate Partner Violence and Behavior Problems in Children Investigated as Victims of Maltreatmen
  This study from Pediatrics, the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, adds to the evidence that maternal caregivers' experiences with intimate partner violence are related to child functioning. The findings suggest that systematic efforts are needed to ensure that mental health needs are identified and addressed appropriately in children exposed to this violence.

• Little Eyes, Little Ears: How Violence Against a Mother Shapes Children as They Grow
  This resource from the Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System (Canada) draws together information from the latest research for professionals and volunteers who help women and children. Topics addressed include what children might feel, think and do during violent incidents against their mothers, roles they might adopt before, during or after incidents, strategies of coping and survival, and how violence may be experienced by children of different ages, from infancy to adolescence. The purpose is to examine how violence against a mother can shape a child.

Curriculum

• The Emotional Effects of Domestic Violence on Children
  The National Children's Advocacy Center offers free online training through their website. This presentation explores the effects on both children and the family. Included in this presentation are attachment issues, the impact of trauma, and how mental, emotional, and intellectual development can be affected. Because many of these children are also victims of direct child abuse, the presenter discusses neglect, physical and emotional abuse, and how this unstable and unhealthy environment impacts a child. Issues of treatment and therapeutic techniques will also be included in this presentation.

• The Intersection of Domestic Violence and Child Victimization: Understanding the Issues, Developing a Coordinated Community Response: An Online Tutorial for Domestic Violence Advocates and Their Communities
  This online tutorial from the Institute for Family Violence Studies is designed to train domestic violence advocates and community educators. It contains a basic curriculum on the intersection of domestic violence and child maltreatment, and the effects of domestic violence on children. There is a focus on rural communities.

NRCFCPPP Information Packet

• Domestic Violence and Its Role in Child Welfare by Jené Toussaint (April 2006)

Bibliography

• Domestic Violence and Child Abuse
  This bibliography from the Children and Family Research Center lists 150 references that address co-occurring domestic abuse and child abuse, child exposure to domestic violence, child protection and battered women services, intervention strategies for children exposed to domestic violence, intergenerational rates of child sexual abuse, community programs for domestic violence and child abuse, the relationship between exposure to violence and later aggression, barriers to domestic violence screening in child protective services, social work practice on domestic violence and child abuse, and other topics related to domestic violence and child abuse.

Websites

• Domestic Violence Services
  This section of the Child Welfare Information Gateway website focuses on the delivery of services to children and families affected by domestic violence.

• The Greenbook Initiative
  The Family Violence Department of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges convened leading family court judges and experts on child maltreatment and domestic violence to develop the "Greenbook." Released in 1999 and formally titled, "Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence & Child Maltreatment Cases: Guidelines for Policy and Practice," it offers a comprehensive set of responses designed to eliminate or decrease the enormous risks that battered mothers, caseworkers and judges must take on behalf of children. Today, the "Greenbook" is helping child welfare workers, domestic violence advocates and family court judges in communities across the country change their approach to family violence to better help battered women and their children achieve safety. The "Greenbook" has spawned activities in states and localities across the country, as well as a federal initiative spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Justice.

• Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System
  This non-profit social service agency in Canada helps children and families involved with the justice system as victims of crime, witnesses of crime, parties in custody disputes, subjects of child protection proceedings, litigants in civil suits for compensation, teenagers in therapeutic care settings, or youthful offenders. They are known for their innovative approach to understanding children exposed to domestic violence, supporting their mothers, and creating resources for service deliverers.