Child welfare professionals' responses to domestic violence exposure among children

Child welfare professionals are expected to promptly assess the current safety and future risks of children reported to them. Developing more accurate assessment methods has been a growing concern in child welfare. The presence of domestic violence and children's exposure to it are factors that have been included in many current risk assessment models used by child welfare professionals.An online survey of 152 child welfare professionals was conducted in twenty counties in one midwestern state. Professionals reported on the importance of (a) types of violence in a child's home and (b) the child's level of involvement in that violence; they also responded to how two hypothetical scenarios of child exposure to and involvement in violence would affect their decision making. The results provide insight into how child welfare professionals assess child exposure and involvement in domestic violence as a perceived risk and guidance on the training needs of these professionals.