What Is the Problem? Child Welfare Involved Families Experiencing Domestic Violence: Perceptions of Stakeholders across Multiple Systems

Background and Purpose: This study was part of a national project funded under the Quality Improvement Center Child Welfare Involved Children and Families Experiencing Domestic Violence (QIC-CWDV) which seeks to develop, implement, and evaluate collaborative models and just policies to improve the lives of families involved in the child welfare (CW) system and experiencing domestic violence (DV). Despite efforts to enhance the response to families experiencing DV and child maltreatment (e.g., “Greenbook”), implementation and evidence of effective, sustained models of collaboration is still limited. As part of the project’s exploration stage, this study’s objective was to examine how key stakeholders define problems related to families involved with CW and experiencing DV.

Methods: Eleven focus groups were held with stakeholders across the U.S., including Native American tribal representatives, judges, CW workers and administrators, co-located DV advocates, and DV administrators. Participants shared their perspectives on multiple topics relevant to CW involved families experiencing DV. Focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and imported into Dedoose.com, a web-based qualitative software, which allows online collaboration among multiple researchers. The research team analyzed the data to examine the problem definition through deductive and inductive methods. A coding scheme, based on the focus group questions and refined through the initial analysis process and rigorous team discussion, guided analyses. Satisfactory inter-rater reliability was achieved through a series of steps, including coding review, auditing, and peer debriefing.

Results: The analysis revealed five broad problem themes: 1) child and adult experiences of trauma; 2) CW worker related challenges 3) limited capacity within and collaboration between CW and DV; 4) systems’ lack of survivor-centered knowledge and practice; and, 5) barriers related to racial disproportionality and disparities, and Native American family/tribal needs. Overall, experiences of trauma among children and adults was the most prevalent and critical problem theme. Limited funding, high caseloads, frequent turnover, limited experience and training for CW workers were discussed as impacting services for DV-affected families. Conflicting perspectives between CW workers and DV advocates was attributed primarily to limited education and opportunities for collaboration. Cultural bias and other structural barriers, such as poverty and disproportionality, were discussed as negatively affecting Latino, Native American, and African-American families. 

Conclusion: This study contributes to the current knowledge by providing a rich description of the multidimensional and complex issues impacting CW and DV involved families. Findings suggest that the problems lie within and across multiple service sectors and in the larger sociopolitical context. Study implications underscore the need to address the challenges encountered by the CW and DV systems at the individual and agency levels as well as in state and federal policies. Implications are further discussed for developing, implementing, and sustaining systemic and collaborative approaches.