Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment Cases: Guidelines for Policy and Practice
In 1999, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) published Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment Cases: Guidelines for Policy and Practice. This publication helps child welfare, domestic violence service providers and family courts work together more effectively to serve families experiencing violence. Since the publication’s release, dozens of communities around the country have used it to improve their policies and practices and developed enhanced coordination among courts and social service agencies to better serve families in need.
From 2000-2007, the United States Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Justice funded six demonstration sites across the country. The demonstration sites joined battered women’s organizations, child protection agencies, the courts, and other partners in implementing the publication's guidelines recommendations. NCJFCJ, Family Violence Prevention Fund and the American Public Humane Association provided technical assistance to the sites. Every local site was evaluated individually, and a comprehensive national evaluation was conducted at the completion of the initiative.
The demonstration sites learned a number of important lessons and, as a result, products such as training curriculums, community assessment tools and multimedia materials have since been developed and collected to assist others in doing this work. These items are all available on this website.