ResearchGate See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229672020 Domestic violence and child abuse: Developing sensitive policies and guidance Article in Child Abuse Review . May 2001 DOI: 10.1002/car.686 CITATIONS 19 6 authors, including: Cathy Humphreys University of Melbourne 110 PUBLICATIONS 983 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Hilary Abrahams University of Bristol 3 PUBLICATIONS 22 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE READS 93 Pam Lowe Aston University 31 PUBLICATIONS 757 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Marianne Hester University of Bristol 60 PUBLICATIONS 685 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Project Justice, Inequality & Gender-Based Violence View project Project Safety and Accountability - Family Violence Research View project All content following this page was uploaded by Cathy Humphreys on 26 January 2015. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. All in-text references underlined in blue are added to the original document and are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you access and read them immediately.
Child Abuse Review Vol. 10: 183-197 (2001) DOI: 10.1002/car.686 Domestic Violence and Child Abuse: Developing Sensitive Policies and Guidance Domestic violence is everywhere and nowhere. No statutory organization or health service has work with either perpetrators or survivors of domestic violence (usually women and children) as the primary focus of their service, yet all agencies will have very significant numbers among their clients/service users. It is therefore crucial that the policy framework is developed both within and between agencies to address the need, and scope, of intervention in this area and particularly the impact on children. Currently, significant steps have been taken by some agencies in the UK to address this previously neglected issue, though the developments are patchy. This paper draws on a UK-wide research study which mapped the extent and range of service provision for families where there is domestic violence and also developed a framework of good practice indicators for provision in this area. This article examines one of the indicators of good practice arising from the research - that of policy development - within social service departments and within the multi-agency arena. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY WORDS: domestic violence; child abuse; policy development; good practice indicators W orkers in the UK child care sector are currently reel- ing from the impact of major changes and workforce pressures. Responding to the Quality Protects agenda, absorb- ing the new assessment framework (Department of Health, 2000) and struggling with the expectation to refocus services to provide a better balance between family support and child protection are all currently demanded of social workers and their managers. Moreover, rising to the demands of SSI inspections and joint reviews, attending to the implications of the McPherson Catherine Humphreys* Audrey Mullender Pam Lowe Centre for the Study of Safety and Well-Being University of Warwick Gill Hague Hilary Abrahams Domestic Violence Research Group University of Bristol Marianne Hester International Centre for the Study of Violence and Abuse University of Sunderland 'Mapped the extent and range of service