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June 2009Vol. 10, No. 5Community Interventions for Child and Domestic Abuse

Child abuse and domestic violence often occur in the same family and have serious consequences for both children and adult victims. To address this co-occurrence, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges released Bringing the Greenbook to Life: A Resource Guide for Communities to provide practical ideas for communities seeking to improve their response.

Based on the efforts of six federally funded pilot sites, this publication identifies new ways for child welfare agencies, domestic violence advocates, and dependency courts to collaborate. Innovative examples illustrate how specific communities have successfully implemented the Greenbook's vision. These recommendations are intended as general steps to help communities develop their own policies, practices, and collaborative partnerships. The steps include:

  • Strengthening collaborations through activities such as shadowing and cross-training
  • Developing relationships among systems by establishing trust, assessing commitment, and managing conflicts
  • Assessing system readiness for change by conducting safety and accountability audits
  • Recognizing and respecting class, gender, and cultural differences
  • Implementing changes in practice (e.g., using group conferencing, engaging multidisciplinary teams, developing new protocols, and ensuring batterer accountability)

A final section addresses some of the frequently raised questions that involve role conflict and issues surrounding policy and sustainable change. Appendices illustrate specific counties' programs, initiatives, and guidelines in co-occurring cases of domestic violence and child maltreatment.

The guidebook was written by Leigh Goodmark and Ann Rosewater and is available on the Greenbook Initiative website:

http://www.thegreenbook.info/documents/BJA.pdf (13.78 MB)