Needed Services for Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence: A Statewide Survey of Domestic Violence Agencies

Background and Purpose: Children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) may receive services from a variety of agencies and systems, including child protective services (CPS), schools, public mental health agencies, and other child-serving systems. The particular interest of this study was how children were served by agencies that offer services to families experiencing IPV. It is important to determine what types of services, programs, or interventions for IPV-exposed children are being implemented and how many children are receiving services across the state. This information helps formulate specific recommendations for policies, system changes, programming, funding streams, or other strategies at the state, county, or local levels to help better serve IPV-exposed children.

Methods: Between October 2016 and January 2017, a statewide survey was conducted with 78 of the 105 identified agencies that provided services for children who have been exposed to IPV (response rate: 74.3%). Agency directors provided information about the number of children served annually, programs currently being implemented, and their ideas about reducing effects of IPV on children. As the aim of this study was descriptive in nature, analyses drew on aggregate data and were intended to identify patterns. Descriptive statistics were run across programs and text from open-ended questions were analyzed using open, inductive qualitative coding techniques.

Results: During the Fiscal Year 2016, a reported 85,312 children received services from these agencies, which included child advocacy, case management, counseling, and mental health assessments, among others. Nearly half (48%) of the agencies offered counseling services to children. Over two-thirds (67.4%) of the agencies used one or more evidence-based interventions, promising interventions, or prevention programs for children. The majority (87.3%) of agencies reported that they would expand their service area or number of clients served if additional funding or resources became available. Agencies identified ways to better serve children and families such as increasing coordination between domestic violence agencies and other systems, providing trauma-informed care trainings across child-serving systems, increasing public knowledge about domestic violence, and supporting and sharing best practices and research.

Conclusions and Implications: While over two-thirds of the agencies offered evidence-based interventions, many agencies indicated that there were few evidence-based interventions that were specifically designed for children exposed to IPV. This suggests that research needs to identify strategies to improve dissemination and implementation of evidence-based interventions to clinicians and other service providers. Nearly half of domestic violence agencies reported offering counseling services to children, but only 38% reported providing counseling services to children ages 5 and younger, with only 20% providing counseling services for children 2 years and younger. Furthermore, very few domestic violence agencies (13%) reported using evidence-based programs with children ages 5 and younger. Research shows that there are detrimental, long-lasting consequences for children exposed to IPV at an early age, particularly when considering that key developmental milestones are missed or delayed. This suggests that interventions with younger children are essential to reducing the negative effects of IPV exposure.  

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