The impact on children of domestic violence has received increasing attention, but awareness of the problem has not always translated into public action. This forward-thinking volume brings together leading mental health, legal, educational, and social services professionals from the U.S. and Canada to demonstrate how the problem of violence in the home can best be mitigated through community collaboration. The book provides an understanding of the effects of childhood exposure to domestic violence; considers the most promising assessment approaches; and examines specific interventions with victims and offenders, ranging from individual and group approaches to broader efforts involving schools, police, courts, and the media. Also addressed are the complexity of working with families from diverse cultural backgrounds and the often-ignored subject of how to enhance the roles of fathers in their children's lives.
"For far too long, children exposed to domestic violence have been overlooked--if not forgotten--by those who should be protecting them and providing effective interventions. This book is a welcome and invaluable resource for a range of practitioners working in the area of domestic violence. Readers from different fields will be enlightened as to the roles each might play in addressing children's needs. As a text, the book will be useful in the classrooms of law schools, law enforcement training academies, and graduate schools of social work and psychology, to name just a few."--Honorable Peter C. Macdonald, (Retired), District Judge, Third Judicial District, Commonwealth of Kentucky; Co-chair, Family Violence Committee, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges"This volume brings together the latest research about the effects of domestic violence on children and how our policies and programs should respond. It is a critical desk reference for policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and educators who care about and advocate for the safety of children."--Diane DePanfilis, PhD, MSW, Institute for Human Services Policy, University of Maryland School of Social Work"An important contribution. This comprehensive volume tackles ongoing and emerging issues--such as whether childhood exposure to domestic violence should be defined as maltreatment--and fills in gaps in the existing domestic violence literature. The book also addresses assessment and intervention from the individual to the community levels. It will be a valuable resource for professionals in the areas of child welfare, intimate partner violence, law enforcement, and family and criminal law, as well as for faculty in social work, child development, criminal justice, and related programs."--Caroline L. Burry, PhD, School of Social Work, University of Maryland, Baltimore