Social work, domestic violence and child protection: Challenging practice

The 1990s has witnessed a resurgence of interest and concern in the issue of domestic violence. While women are predominantly targets of this violence, there is now a recognition that children are also significantly affected by violence towards their mothers.

This report explores the problems and opportunities presented for child protection workers responding to child abuse that occurred in the context of violence towards the child(ren)‘s mother. This particular aspect of domestic violence intervention is frequently overlooked as issues such as policing, child contact, interagency working and offender programmes have gained precedence in the development of intervention strategies.

The responses of social services departments to child abuse arising in the context of domestic violence remain some of the most contentious and controversial in this area. This report:

gives a detailed account of social work practice in the area of domestic violence, using many case examples which illustrate the barriers to effective intervention;

looks in particular at the needs of Asian families in the context of domestic violence and child abuse;

recognises the difficulties of developing sensitive child welfare practice in an area where there has been a traditional separation of services for women and services for children;

provides good practice examples for overcoming the traditional difficulties in this area.

This report is important reading for practitioners, policy makers and managers in social services, and their equivalents in a range of other agencies involved in child protection. It is also valuable reading for social work academics and students interested in the area of domestic violence.