Building Bridges Between Domestic Violence Organizations and Child Protective Services

This is a new resource for advocates seeking to strengthen efforts to help battered women with abused and neglected children. The paper reviews what is known about the effects of domestic violence on children, and provides a comprehensive overview of the child protection system and how it works. Finally, it provides a framework for collaboration with child protection agencies that will support the work of domestic violence advocates as they try to improve safety for women and their children.

Appendix A, "Responsibilities of Caseworkers in the Child Protection Process" charts key tasks, questions and decision. Appendix B covers points on "Preparing to Work Together."

This paper was published in September 1999 and revised in February 2000 as the seventh in a series of policy and practice papers from the Building Comprehensive Solutions to Domestic Violence initiative of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence(NRC), a project of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence. This paper was produced for the NRC, Child Welfare League of America, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the Family Violence Prevention Fund.