Using Data for Child Welfare

Transcript

1. Using Data to Inform Child Welfare and Domestic Violence Implications for ‘Systems of Care’ Gia Elise Barboza Northeastern University g.barboza@neu.edu 1
2. Questions? Name one community level characteristic that is associated with violations of protection orders in Portland, ME? Name 10 Adverse Child Experiences that comprise the ACE scale? What is the prevalence of Post-Traumatic Symptoms among youth involved with CPS? Define: (1) reliability; (2) validity 2
3. Introductory Remarks Data is a social construct Use of data to inform work What data are available, how can we make use of the data, what types of data do we need to collect? Open data is freely available In theory everyone has access Making sense of data is more difficult • Can be an important way to frame an issue • Example: why didn’t the victim of domestic abuse call the police?
4. Evidence in Domestic Abuse/Violence Cases Possible reactions that may be relevant are: Emotional state (too much, too little) Dissociative amnesia, posttraumatic stress, shame Depression leads to only weak avoidance of punishment Data and research serves to: Explain a battered woman’s behavior, provide context for one’s refusal to prosecute offender Explain reasons for continued involvement in an abusive relationship A victim’s coping behavior(s) can be misinterpreted to suggest that the abuse was not serious or used to blame the victim. Research may be useful to explain an abuse victim’s demeanor and response 4
5. Why stay in an abusive relationship? The choice is often between homelessness or abuse…. • Studies have shown that between 44-50% of women report staying in abusive relationships because they “have no where to go” or they do not have other housing options (https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/dvhomelessness032106.pdf) • Domestic violence is a primary cause of homelessness for women and children • Women who had experienced recent or ongoing domestic violence were far more likely to face eviction than other women • Among the states that have laws protecting domestic violence victims’ housing rights • Some insist the victim have a restraining order before being evicted • Even with a restraining order, eviction can take weeks • Other issues • Subsidized housing and removing offender’s name on lease • Invasive protective measures that violate privacy 5
6. When might data and research be “helpful” • Myths and misconceptions about domestic violence that could have a negative impact on fact finder’s assessment • Does domestic violence only happen in some communities; what characteristics of communities; • There are vast and widespread resources available for real victims; • Prevalence and impact of maltreatment, physical as well as: • Neglect • Psychological • Emotional • Financial • Sexual • Psychosocial impact, symptomology, psychological test • Alcohol use/abuse • Psychological sequelae of abuse 6
7. Overview and Interrelationships 7 Implications for systems of care • Cultural issues in DV, child maltreatment • Cross-system collaboration • Assessment, safety and services planning Interrelationship between abuse types • Intersection of Family violence, substance use, and child maltreatment • Profiles of Adverse Child Experiences • Traumatic Exposure as victim, as witness Magnitude of the Problem • Prevalence/Incidence • Spatial and temporal dimensions Cultural v Legal Definitions of Abuse • What is child maltreatment? • What is domestic violence? • What is elder maltreatment?
8. Categories, Characteristics and Classes A typical representation… A simplification … 1. It represents a typology of violence that is common among researchers 2. As is the case with many representations, it fails to elucidate some of the problems with our current understanding • Independence: Lots of overlap between categories • Categories are not characteristics – not everyone experiences abuse similarly • Lack of context: how do individuals in communities experience violence 8
9. Socio-ecological Model of Violence and Victimization • Focus on the dynamic interaction between the perpetrator and the victim in the more immediate and distal contexts which include this behavior • At the core are individual characteristics of both perpetrator and the victim which, in turn, play out in the various contexts, leading to relationship attributes such as dependency and/or conflict. • Example: bullying Barboza, et al., (2009). “Individual Characteristics and the Multiple Contexts of Adolescent Bullying: An Ecological Perspective.” Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38: 101-121. Society Community Relationship Family Institution Individual 9
10. Evolving Perspectives of Domestic Abuse My definition of and approach to domestic violence Domestic violence is frequently misunderstood as involving physical injury perpetrated by a spouse or partner. This view, largely adopted by the criminal justice and legal systems, identifies the seriousness of a partner’s acts according to legal degrees of criminal abuse, emphasizes the nature of the violence perpetration and the degree of resulting injury. I believe domestic violence is more appropriately characterized as a pattern of abusive behaviors that varies in type, frequency and intensity across time and space. In my view, a view supported by decades of research, is that domestic violence occurs in the context of an intimate partner relationship and includes behaviors that range from physical assault and severe injury to control over economic and social resources. Domestic violence is an equal opportunity phenomenon – it affects all individuals irrespective of their racial/ethnic affiliation, sexual orientation, social or economic status. This is not to imply that some communities do not feel the impact of domestic violence disproportionately and consistently over time. My own work adopts and advocates a public health approach for understanding domestic violence. This perspective focuses on degrees of injury rather than a narrow emphasis on the characteristics of perpetrators and victims (e.g. blaming the victim), albeit characteristics are still important. In addition, my work is centered around understanding community as a critical space for social change, where effective prevention on understanding the unique experiences and trajectories of domestic violence survivors, particularly women and children. 10