Collaboration between child welfare agencies and domestic violence service providers: Relationship with child welfare policies and practices for addressing domestic violence

The purpose of this paper was to examine collaborative activities occurring between child welfare agencies and domestic violence service providers and to investigate whether there was a relationship between collaborative efforts and domestic violence policy and practice in child welfare agencies. Data were derived from the Children and Domestic Violence Services study, which obtained cross-sectional data from a large sample of child welfare agencies across the United States, and from the Greenbook evaluation, which conducted a longitudinal case study investigation of a federal initiative that provided support to several communities to establish collaborative mechanisms aimed at improving the effectiveness of child welfare policy related to domestic violence. Findings from the cross-sectional data revealed that in almost three-quarters of the communities, formal collaborative activities existed between child welfare and domestic violence agencies. However, the data did not demonstrate a relationship between these activities and child welfare policy and practice related to domestic violence. Longitudinal case study findings from the Greenbook evaluation did reveal some changes in child welfare policy and practice in association with the implementation of activities that increased collaboration between child welfare and domestic violence service providers. Improvements were found in child welfare agency screening and assessment, advocacy for adult domestic violence victims, and multidisciplinary approaches to case planning. The extent to which changes were observed varied across the sites, however, and appeared to be related to the specific planning approach undertaken in each community. Additional work is needed to identify optimal collaborative strategies to enhance domestic violence policy and practice and improve outcomes for families.