July/August 2001Vol. 2, No. 4News from the Child Welfare Training Resources Online Network
The Domestic Violence Training Program, a grant project funded by the Children's Bureau, has developed a curriculum for a one-day training session for child welfare workers working with domestic violence cases. According to the Working to Stop Family Violence website (http://www.famvi.com) (Editor's note: this link is no longer available.), children are 15 times more likely to be abused in families where domestic violence is present.
The 140-page curriculum, published through the University of California Los Angeles, is titled Assessment and Intervention Approach to Domestic Violence Cases Involving Children: An Innovative Training Program for Child Welfare Workers. The curriculum is highlighted on the Child Welfare Training Resources Online Network (http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/profess/workforce/index.cfm), sponsored by the Children's Bureau.
The training session addresses assessment and intervention issues in families affected by multiple problems, including child maltreatment, domestic violence, substance abuse, and mental illness. The program's primary goals are to prepare child welfare workers to identify domestic violence during family assessments and to increase their awareness of cultural and personal beliefs that may affect decision making. In addition, the curriculum proposes new intervention and assessment techniques to better prepare child welfare workers for working with mothers, children, and perpetrators of domestic violence.
The curriculum addresses such issues as:
- Dynamics of domestic violence
- Multicultural issues
- Link between child abuse and domestic violence
- Relationship between substance abuse, mental health, and domestic violence
- Restraining orders
- Myths and the cycle of violence
- Assessment strategies.
Included in the trainer's manual are pre- and post-tests, session outlines, case studies, presentation tips, overhead masters, and handouts.
A video entitled, "The Heart of Intimate Abuse: A Companion Video," is available for use with the printed materials in the curriculum. This video offers additional information on the curriculum's focus on emotional and cultural issues, a new method for assessing domestic violence cases in child welfare, and the challenges of interviewing child and youth clients.
To obtain the curriculum, contact:
Colleen Friend
University of California
3250 Public Policy Building
Box 951656
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1656
Phone: 310-825-3315