What is a Safety Organized, Trauma Informed, Solution

Focused Approach to Domestic Violence Cases in

Child Protection?

Sue Hubert, Domestic Violence UnitMassachusetts Department of Children and Families

Shellie Taggart, NRCCPS ConsultantJune 18, 2013

Learning Objectives

• Understand what constitutes a safety organized, trauma informed, solution focused approach to domestic violence (DV) cases in child welfare

• Be aware of key points in CPS cases where use of safety organized, trauma informed, solution focused DV practice can help lead to safety and permanency for children and youth, and well-being of children, youth and families

• Know the resources available to support continued learning about these approaches and enhance development of DV practice

Webinars in the series

• TODAY: Focus on key issues for intake, assessment and intervention; organizational capacity

• July 16, 2013: Focus on engagement of the children, non-offending parent and DV offender

• August 20, 2013: Focus on safety planning and case planning

All webinars 3:00 – 4:30 pm Eastern

Domestic Violence

• Domestic violence (DV) is a pattern of coercive and violent behavior used by a person to establish control over an intimate partner

• Tactics may include physical violence, sexual violence/coercion, economic abuse, verbal/emotional abuse, psychological abuse/threats, using children, using systems such as CPS/courts

Safety Organized CPS Practice

• Search as rigorously for safety as for danger/risk– Safety can be observed and documented

• Structured, on-going assessment beyond reported incident

• Directs/focuses work, methods, decision making• Intervention matches nature, intensity, frequency

and duration of risk/safety threat– Considers child vulnerability and parental capacity

• Caregiver (and other adult) behaviors, demonstrated over time, result in safety– Compliance/cooperation/services ≠ safety

Trauma Informed CPS System

• One in which all parties involved recognize and respond to the varying impact of traumatic stress on children, caregivers and those who have contact with the system. Programs and organizations . . . act in collaboration, using the best available science, to facilitate and support resiliency and recovery.

- CTISP National Advisory Committee

Essential Elements of a Trauma-Informed Child Welfare System

Maximize physical and psychological safety for children

and families

Identify trauma-related needs of

children and families

Enhance child well-being and

resilience

Enhance family well-being and

resilience

Enhance the well-being and

resilience of those working in

the system

Partner with youth and families

Partner with agencies and systems that interact with children and

families

• Chadwick Trauma-Informed Systems Project

National Council for Behavioral Health

Solution-Focused CPS Practice

• Most parents want to care for their children and can change behavior with support and resources

• CPS should provide respectful, individualized interventions

• Clients should be involved in case plan and in decisions about their families

• CPS services should be the least intrusive possible• The PRESENT and FUTURE safety of child/youth and

family is at the heart of CPS intervention

Making the connections

• Safety organized practice IS part of trauma informed practice

• Solution-focused practice IS part of safety organized practice

• Universal screening for DV• Information gathering to

make safe contact with the non-offending parent (adult victim of violence): NOP

Key Issues at Intake

Safety organized

Trauma informed

Universal Screening for DV

• Rationale: Research shows high co-occurrence of DV and child maltreatment

• Early identification (as primary concern, or as an

underlying issue) leads to safe contact and avoidance of CPS interventions that increase danger/risk

• Early identification of high risk indicators• Begin to understand specific harm or

impact on child/youth from DV

Safe Initial Contact with NOP

Rationale: Standard CPS methods to contact families can increase risk and decrease effectiveness

CPS method1. Phone call2. Home visit3. Send letter

Potential outcomes• Offender intercepts • Offender is present, NOP unable

to communicate safely• CPS actions show NOP we may

cause danger

Ask for NOP help to plan initial approach with DV offender. Explore strengths, relationship with child/youth, parenting strategies.

Key Issues: NOP(throughout the life of the case)

• Private contact with NOP• Safety planning – NOP and child• Consider impact of intervention

on safety• Seek understanding of how

violence/abuse affect ability & motivation of NOP to attend to safety, engage in services, make progress

• Explore protective behaviors as a foundation for future safety

Trauma informed

Solution focused

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Trauma informed work with NOP

• Ask questions to understand impact of past and current abuse or trauma on the NOP’s choices; ability/capacity to keep herself and her child safe; ability to connect with a CPS worker; capacity to take in information; level of energy to take action.

• Ask: What has happened to her? instead of What is wrong with her?

• Assess/strengthen her system of support and safety, including DV advocacy.

• Provide information about trauma.• Provide information about impact of DV on children.• Assess and eliminate/reduce barriers to safety.

Many fathers who are abusive to their partners or former partners can be engaged if planned thoughtfully, with safety in mind.

Anger does not equal danger

Key Issues: Paradigm Shift

AccountabilityChallenge BehaviorAccountabilityFocus on ConcernsLimits

EngagementSupport PersonConnectionFocus on StrengthsOpportunities

ANDSafety organized

Solution focused

Key Issues: DV Offender(throughout the life of the case)

• Assess level of danger/risk • Plan intervention to reduce danger/risk• Engage him as a father• Identify behaviors that support

accountability, responsibility and safety• Explore protective behaviors as a

foundation for future safety• Support for person w/o colluding

with behaviors

Safe

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Solu

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Engagement and accountability

• Engage him as a father/father-figure.• Assess efforts DV offender has made to keep child/youth

from being exposed—to plan for future safety.• Assess/strengthen DV offender system of support and

accountability, including collaboration/coordination with natural supports AND service providers and probation/parole.

• Provide information about trauma. • Provide information about impact of DV on children.• Assess and respond to DV offender history of

trauma/exposure to violence.• Assess and eliminate/reduce barriers to services.

Key Issues: Child/Youth(throughout the life of the case)

• Elicit child/youth perspective• Assess harm and impact over

time• Age-appropriate safety planning• Strengthen bond with safe adults• Provide opportunities for healing

and success—develop resiliency• Refer for trauma services when

indicated

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Key Issues: Child/YouthTrauma-informed•Assess specific impact of exposure to DV on child/youth—differential impact factors include:– Frequency; severity; proximity; age and age at

first exposure; multiple forms of violence; how they understand the abuse/violence

Moderating factors include:– Bond with consistent adult(s); community assets;

opportunities for success and healing; racial and ethnic pride

•Assess needs in context of stage of development

Some trauma symptoms by age0 - 5 6 - 12 13 - 21

• Chronic feeding or sleeping difficulties

• Inconsolable• Avoidance of

contact• Heightened

startle response• Inability to

establish relationships

• Excessive hitting, biting, aggression

• Very withdrawn• Regression in

development

• Emotional swings

• Learning problems

• Specific anxieties and fears

• Attention seeking

• Reversion to younger behaviors

• Difficulty imagining or planning for the future

• Over- or under-estimating danger

• Inappropriate aggression

• Reckless or self-destructive behavior

What workers can do• Support parents in

keeping their children close to them.

• Provide an environment in which children and teens can talk about their concerns.

• Help the child/teen anticipate what will happen.

• Give choices. • Provide reassurance

when the child needs it.

• Offer reassurance that you and the parent are working together to keep the family safe.

• Name the child’s or teen’s feelings and encourage the child/teen to find ways to express them through language, play, or drawing.

• Expect to need to do these over and over again. It is normal for children to need repeated reassurance.

Creating Trauma-Informed Service Tipsheet Series, National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma and Mental Health

Solution-focused Assessment Practice

• Look for exceptions to the concerns: Was there a time when DV wasn’t occurring, or wasn’t as bad? What was different then? How can we build that in the future?

• Understand each parent’s perspective on the CPS concern: Ask: How do you think your child would describe what happens at home? What do you think s/he was feeling, or worried about, when _____ happened?

Solution-focused Assessment Practice

• Understand how each parent sees his/her own strength/abilities: Within the context of abuse (and/or poverty, unemployment, life stressors) how does she manage to get her child off to school each day? How does he manage to stay sober?

Solution-focused Assessment Practice

• Elicit or help develop each parent’s vision for the future: Ask: When CPS no longer needs to be involved, what will have changed in the family? What will people be doing more of, and less of? How will YOU be different?

• Scale motivation/willingness/ability: Ask: On a scale from 1 – 10, how confident are you that this safety plan can work? How motivated are you to complete the intake at the BI program? How could you move that number up? How can we help?

Documentation of DV

• What makes this a child protection issue (nexus of caregiver behavior and impact on child)?

• Behaviorally specific documentation more accurate accounts of risks and acts of protection

• Identify who is responsible for harm to child/youth (may be different than who is legally responsible for their safety)

• Document ALL tactics of DV offender• Document ALL acts of protection, by NOP, DV

offender and other adults • Document changes in caregiver behaviors

Organizational Capacity

• Collect and analyze DV data—understand co-occurrence and related issues

• Assess/respond to secondary traumatic stress of staff—compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and burnout—that affects their ability and willingness to help families

• Create a supportive environment in which staff can talk openly about fears (for personal safety, of making things worse) or doubts about their DV skills

Organizational Capacity

• Provide supervision, DV practice coaching and consultation with DV advocates

• Train staff to use critical thinking skills to promote accurate DV assessments

• Help staff develop skills for working with DV offenders

• Develop DV practice standards/protocols

• Collaboratively map responses of systems, and problem-solve issues that impact effectiveness– Confidentiality and the ability to share

information– Finding ways to review practice between systems

• Review/expand DV service array/capacity for all family members (DV advocacy, immigration attorneys, BI programs, responsible fatherhood programs, visitation centers, home visiting programs, sexual assault services, healthy relationship programming, etc)

• Train staff across multiple systems for identification of high risk behaviors, impact of trauma, and consistency of approach

Collaborative Capacity

DV practice/principle

Safety organized

Solution focused

Trauma informed

Partner with NOP

✓ ✓ ✓

Active and continuous safety planning

✓ ✓ ✓

Assess risk/impact on children

✓ ✓ ✓

Engage AND hold accountable DV offender

✓ ✓ ✓

Collaborate with other systems

✓ ✓ ✓

Collaborate with DV partners

✓ ✓ ✓

Additional Resources

• Chadwick Trauma-Informed Systems Projectwww.chadwickcenter.org/CTISP/ctisp.htm

• National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Healthwww.nationalcenterdvtraumamh.org/

• Futures Without Violencewww.futureswithoutviolence.org

• National Resource Center for Domestic Violence www.nrcdv.org/

Additional Resources

• National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women: Special Collectionshttp://www.vawnet.org/special-collections/DVTraumaInformed-Overview.php

• Culturally specific DV institutes ANDState examples of DV practicesall available at www.nrccps.org/special-initiatives/domestic-violence/