Quality Improvement Center on Domestic Violence in Child Welfare

Quality Improvement Center on Domestic Violence in Child Welfare

The Quality Improvement Center on Domestic Violence in Child Welfare (QIC-DVCW) is a five-year federal cooperative agreement with the Children's Bureau to test an approach to improve how child welfare agencies and their partners work collaboratively to help families experiencing domestic violence. The safety and well-being of child survivors of domestic violence and child maltreatment are closely connected to the safety and well-being of the adult survivor of domestic violence. For this reason, the QIC-DVCW is testing an Adult & Child Survivor-Centered Approach to addressing the needs of both the parent and child, which includes effectively engaging and working with the person causing them harm. The following four research questions were developed to guide the work of the Recipient's evaluation of the QIC-DVCW, and Provider's data will help to answer these questions:

1. Does a collaborative, adult and child survivor-centered approach-that includes safely engaging and establishing accountability of the DV offender-improve adult and child survivor safety, child permanence, and child and family well-being for child welfare involved families experiencing DV?
2. For which families and in which social contexts does an adult and child survivor-centered approach improve these outcomes?
3. What factors are associated with successful implementation and sustainability of an adult and child survivor-centered approach?
4. What are the costs associated with the implementation and maintenance of an adult and child survivor-centered approach, and how do these costs compare to the costs of "practice as usual"?

There are several aspects to study. Data collection strategies have distinct eligibility criteria. These are described below.

1. Overall Study

   Inclusion Criteria:

   Staff members of child welfare agencies and community partners, and the families experiencing domestic served in the intervention and comparison sites.

   Exclusion Criteria:

   All non-staff members of child welfare agencies and community partners, and the families experiencing domestic served in the intervention and comparison sites.

2. Caseworker, Supervisor, Community Partner Self-Survey

   Inclusion Criteria:

   Staff members of child welfare agencies and community partners in the intervention and comparison sites.

   Exclusion Criteria:

   All non-staff members of child welfare agencies and community partners in the intervention and comparison sites.

3. Caseworker Case Specific Survey

Inclusion Criteria:

Caseworkers (i.e., case carrying) in the intervention and comparison sites.

Exclusion Criteria:

Anyone who is not a caseworker in the intervention and comparison sites.

Inclusion Criteria by case. The following criteria must be met to be included in case-specific survey:

1. Newly investigated cases (i.e., cases that have been screened in for a response - investigation, alternate response - within the research period, in other words, not cases that have been open for DV for a while with no recent new reports)
2. Subject to investigation or alternative response
3. Active DV Cases (defined by type - partner violence and time -within the last year - of violence/cc
4. All survivors (inclusive of all gender identities)
5. Only if survivor whereabouts are known
6. Only families with at least one child that is or under 10 years old
7. Served by standard (i.e., not adolescent or youth units)
8. All relationships included (i.e., no type of relationship excluded)

4. Adult Survivor Survey

Inclusion criteria: Adult survivors of domestic violence who are part of a case that met the criteria of case specific survey and a case specific survey has been completed on that case.

Exclusion criteria: Anyone who is not an adult survivor of domestic violence and/or are not part of a case that met the criteria of case specific survey and/or a case specific survey has not been completed on that case.

5. People Who Use Violence web-based survey

Inclusion criteria: People who use violence who are part of a case that met the criteria of case specific survey and a case specific survey has been completed on that case.

Exclusion criteria: People who do not use violence and/or who are not part of a case that met the criteria of case specific survey and/or a case specific survey has not been completed on that case.