SAN FRANCISCO -- Families experiencing domestic violence often have trouble navigating the child protection system, which frequently takes children away from non-abusive mothers who have enormous difficulty reuniting with their children. Two new resources from the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) show domestic violence service providers how to do more to help battered mothers and their children in these circumstances.
“Advocacy Matters: Helping Mothers and Their Children Involved with the Child Protection System” and “Confidentiality & Information Sharing Issues” give domestic violence experts the information they need to deal successfully with child protection systems and to help battered mothers whose children have been removed from their care. “Advocacy Matters” includes general information and tips to help advocates better address the needs of battered mothers and their children. “Confidentiality & Information” Sharing Issues addresses the legal and confidentiality issues advocates face when working with the child protection system and juvenile courts.
The new publications note that child protection systems often fail to coordinate with domestic violence programs, and child protection caseworkers are rarely trained to understand the dynamics of abuse. In some instances, child protection systems remove children from battered mothers because, they say, the women exposed their children to domestic violence. This leaves battered mothers and their advocates to navigate an unfamiliar system.
“Victims of domestic violence often find the child welfare system confusing, frightening and overwhelming,” said FVPF President Esta Soler. “Domestic violence service providers need to know how to help women navigate the child protection system, because nothing is more important to a mother than ensuring that her child is safe and secure. These new tools can do a tremendous amount to promote badly-needed communication and collaboration between systems that are working with the same families.”
“Advocacy Matters” tells advocates how to make a difference on behalf of battered mothers and their children. Suggestions include: increasing accessibility to the program; creating safe spaces for mothers to talk; developing a relationship with child welfare caseworkers; and becoming familiar with the laws, policies and procedures of the child protection system.
Each section of “Advocacy Matters” lists questions advocates should address with their clients, tips on how advocates can improve their communication and research skills, and information on how to access critical resources for advocates and their clients. A poster complements the guidebook. It says: “If you’re a mother living with abuse, don’t navigate the child protection system alone. An advocate can help.” The poster can be displayed in a waiting room or public space, and it lists ways advocates can make a difference for mothers and children. It allows domestic violence agencies to put a sticker with their contact information in the corner, so women know who to call for help.
“Confidentiality & Information Sharing Issues” also encourages advocacy, and focuses on the information issues advocates face when they counsel battered mothers whose children have been placed in the child protection system. Advocates need to know what to do with the information they gather from victims of domestic violence and what the laws say about how they use that information. This includes knowing how to: protect the privacy of women and their children, support a woman’s right to control information about her family, assert confidentiality and other legal protections, and meet mandated reporting requirements. “Confidentiality & Information Sharing Issues” gives advocates a framework for making decisions on how to handle and use information when working with battered mothers and show them how to develop information sharing policies and practices. Each section offers tips and suggestions for advocates, questions for their consideration, and examples of effective practices. The appendix features worksheets that expand upon the topics addressed in each section.
“Advocacy Matters: Helping Mothers and Their Children Involved with the Child Protection System” and “Confidentiality & Information Sharing Issues” were both produced in conjunction with the American Public Human Services Association and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Family Violence Department, “greenbook” project. They were made possible by grants from the Office on Violence Against Women, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
“Advocacy Matters” was written by FVPF children’s program manager Lonna Davis, and “Confidentiality & Information Sharing” was written by Greater Hartford Legal Aid, Inc. deputy director Jill Davies. Both resources are available free of charge on the FVPF’s web site, at endabuse.org/programs/display.php3?DocID=
Source: Family Violence Prevention Fund
