Research demonstrates a strong relationship between child abuse and domestic violence. This study assesses the domestic violence training needs of child protective services workers. Surveys were completed by 187 social services supervisors in Virginia. Attention was given to the training needs of child protective services workers, how those needs compare to the domestic violence training needs of other social services workers, the strategies identified as most effective, and barriers to training. Results suggest that child protective services workers presumably know more about domestic violence than other workers, but they need more knowledge in certain areas. Implications are provided.
Over the last several decades, research has examined the rates of intimate partner violence and child maltreatment (Cowan and Schwartz, 2004, Jones and Gross, 2000 and Magen et al., 2000). More recently, scholars have looked beyond the theoretical lines that separate these two types of family violence and have found that domestic violence and child abuse frequently co-occur (Lessard et al., 2006, Mills et al., 2000 and Mills and Yoshihama, 2002). Evidence suggests that the average rate of joint partner abuse and child battering ranges between 30% and 60% (Edleson, 1999b). Research conducted by Carlson (2000) reveals that as many as one in three children witness interparental abuse at some point during their childhood.
Both witnessing intimate partner violence and experiencing child abuse result in a variety of negative behavioral, emotional, and social problems. Child victims often experience emotional distress, fear, anger, and anxiety. Children living in homes with interspousal abuse often suffer from emotional and mood disorders, report having trouble with relating to peers, and display aggressive behaviors. Long-term adjustment problems include depression, low self-esteem, and violence within their own intimate relationships (Carlson, 2000, Edleson, 1999a and Hosser et al., 2007).
When considering that nearly one-half of women in shelters report that their abusers engaged in some form of child maltreatment (Mills & Yoshihama, 2002), the tendency to address these two forms of violence separately must be questioned (Cowan and Schwartz, 2004 and Magen et al., 2000). Due to the growing evidence that interparental violence and child maltreatment seldom occur in isolation, there has been a petition for collaboration among service providers—particularly among domestic violence advocates and child welfare workers (Cowan and Schwartz, 2004 and Lessard et al., 2006). More specifically, researchers have suggested increased domestic violence awareness training among child service agents (Mills et al., 2000).
Arising from this call for increased training are a number of different types of questions focusing on the nature, content, and need for training. This study considers what types of training child protective services workers need about domestic violence, the types of information child protective services workers need to know, the barriers to training, and the gaps between awareness and levels of awareness about specific domestic violence issues. Attention is given to how child protective services supervisors define each of these areas and comparisons are made between child protective services workers and other social services workers.
