By Randy H. Magen Ph.D., Kathryn Conroy DSW, Peg McCart Hess Ph.D., Ann Panciera MSW, and Barbara Levy Simon Ph.D.
Also available in Adobe Acrobat format Identifying Domestic Violence PDF
ABSTRACT:This study's primary objective was to evaluate the implementation and
effectiveness of a new domestic violence questionnaire as a component of child
abuse/neglect investigations. In addition, the study sought to identify the beneficial outcomes
and obstacles to the implementation of the domestic violence questionnaire.
In-depth interviews were conducted with a voluntary sample of fifteen
caseworkers, supervisors and administrators. Case record data routinely collected by
caseworkers as they carried out child protective service investigations
provided additional qualitative information as well as quantitative data. 724
cases were received during the six months the protocol was implemented in one
geographic area in New York City.
The interview data revealed a range of feelings and opinions which were
grouped into six categories: workload, characteristics of families in which
battering occurs, the questionnaire document, training, service delivery, and roles
and responsibilities. Although resistance to the implementation of the
questionnaire was revealed, the interviewees generally conveyed a willingness to
comply and complete the questionnaire as well as a sense of responsibility to
provide services to combat domestic violence. Many of those interviewed tried
to convey how difficult the job of child protective work is. Most respondents
believe their number one mandate is to protect the child and question the role
of identifying domestic violence in protecting children. The questions of how
child protective workers should assess and intervene with domestic violence are
complex and lead to an examination of the mission of child protective service
agencies.
By Kathryn Conroy, DSW
Also available in Adobe Acrobat format Role of Clinical Social Worker PDF
ABSTRACT:After a brief history how the battered women's movement started and a description of its activities, the role of professional clinical social worker in this movement is discussed. Clinical social work's place is not in the forefront of advocacy, although we should be advocates; it is not in leading program development, although we should develop programs. Clinical social work's most valued contribution should be in the area of clinical
intervention itself. Taking jobs in shelters,
providing clinical supervision to battered women's workers and doing training would be invaluable. Social workers can and must make the
children a focus of programming and clinical intervention as much as their mothers. Clinical social workers need to learn what shelter staff have learned over time, and need to frame
clinical expertize in a political context.
By Randy H. Magen,
University of Alaska-Anchorage;
Kathryn Conroy,
Columbia University School of Social Work;
Alisa Del Tufo,
Urban Justice Center,
New York, New York
Also available in Adobe Acrobat format Domestic Violence in Child Welfare Preventative Services PDF
ABSTRACT:This paper describes the results from a domestic violence screening questionnaire
implemented in neighborhood-based child welfare preventive service agencies. The goal of these
preventive service agencies is to avert the unnecessary placement of children into foster care as well
as preventing child maltreatment. The purpose of the project described in this paper was to
systematically change the manner in which child welfare preventive service agencies identified and
worked with battered women. Components of the project included recruitment of participant
agencies; training of the workers in domestic violence identification; and the use of a new screening
questionnaire during intake interviews with women clients. Findings indicated that training
enhanced identification; women appreciated being asked about current and historical abuse; and that
women felt better able to protect themselves and their children after disclosure of domestic violence
to the worker. A secondary effect of the project was that child welfare agencies developed specific
services for batterers, battered women and their children.
By Randy H. Magen, Ph.D. and Kathryn Conroy, DSW
Also available in Adobe Acrobat format Training CPS Workers PDF and Rich Text Format Training CPS Workers RTF
ABSTRACT:In October of 1995, five schools of social work were awarded grants from the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) to develop programs to assist child protective service workers in addressing domestic violence. The Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW) was one of the grantees. The principal objective of the CUSSW grant was to train public child welfare workers to understand and intervene appropriately with families where there was concurrent child abuse or neglect and woman abuse. This objective was accomplished by designing, implementing, and evaluating a competency-based training curriculum on domestic violence for direct service workers in the New York City Administrationm for Children's Services (ACS). The training curriculum was designed to impact worker's attitudes toward domestic violence, provide them with knowledge and skills for assessing domestic violence, and enhance their practice with families in which there is woman abuse. This paper is the final report CUSSW's project.