Issues in Family Violence

Winter 2005

Research & Project Updates

David Mandel

Baltimore DSS Uses NoVA Tools to Measure Practice & Attitudes

In collaboration with Baltimore’s federally funded Safe Start project, Baltimore’s Department of Social Services is using the Non-Violence Alliance’s child protection survey and case review tools. The instruments, which will be completed by one of the agency’s units, will measure their current practices and staff attitudes regarding batterers. The unit supervisor hopes that by completing this study the Department will have a better picture of the impact of domestic violence perpetrators on their cases. The information gathered will be used for strategic planning and practice improvement.

Comparison of Perceptions of Batterers who are Biological and Social Fathers Completed

Dr. Emily Rothman, David Mandel, and Dr. Jay Silverman have recently completed an analysis of the differences between the perceptions of batterers who are biological fathers and social fathers for publication. The following is the abstract for the article, which is currently under review: While research suggests that the coping skills of battered mothers’ may mediate the effect of exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and post-traumatic stress among children, the effect of batterers’ attitudes and post-incident coping behaviors on children’s outcomes has not been widely studied. Analyzing the attitudes and behavioral intentions of a sample of 338 partner-abusive fathers, we found that biological fathers were twice as likely as social fathers (i.e. step or unmarried step fathers) to express concern about the long-term effects of their abuse on their children. However, biological fathers were no more likely than social fathers to report intentions to stop their violence, seek a divorce, move out of the house or participate in family counseling in order to mitigate the harm that they may have caused their children. Our findings suggest that fathers’ expressions of concern about the effects of their violence on children may be a poor indicator of their intentions to refrain from abuse. Research that clarifies whether abusive biological fathers’ empathy for their children can be used to engage them more meaningfully in behavior change interventions is needed.

Preliminary Results from New Child Protection Domestic Violence Investigation Protocol

For over two years, the Non-Violence Alliance has worked closely with the Department of Children and Families’ Mary Solera to design and pilot a new domestic violence investigation protocol. The effectiveness of the new protocol was measured through a research design that compared three conditions: (1) workers who received new training but used the old protocol, (2) workers who received the new training and the new protocol and (3) workers who received the new training, the new protocol and regular case consultation to help with the implementation of the protocol and handling of cases. The new protocol and training, which was developed collaboratively by domestic violence victim advocates, child protection workers and supervisors and a batterer intervention expert from the Non-Violence Alliance, highlighted the importance of workers (a) collaborating with the court to hold batterers more accountable, (b) better articulating the impact of the domestic violence on the children and (c) better identify victims’ strengths, prior safety planning and critical resources. With significant support from Bridgeport's Safe Start project and researchers from Yale’s Consultation Center, data was collected through training evaluations, focus groups, ratings on case records and the Department of Children Families’ information system. The preliminary analysis of the data appears to indicate that the new protocol and training had a positive impact on worker practice and case outcomes, particularly when it came to working with the perpetrator. Workers valued the training modules on the court system and perpetrators the most. One worker, in the focus group, said the training led to “more of a thrust to involve Dad, more a thrust to hold Dad accountable.” Other portions of the data appear to indicate that using the new protocol may decrease the number of new domestic violence substantiations compared to the current protocol. One possible explanation for this difference is that the new protocol aided investigators in creating more effective case plans.

(c) 2005, The Non-Violence Alliance. Permission to reprint with the following information "Originally published in Issues in Family Violence, Volume 5, Issue 3 Winter 2005, The Non-Violence Alliance, www.endingviolence.com."