Identifying and Responding to Domestic Violence: Consensus Recommendations For Child and Adolescent Health

• NCJ Number: 197220
• Author(s): Betsy McAlister Groves; Marilyn Augustyn; Debbie Lee; Peter Sawires
• Date Published: September 2002
• Length: 77 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2000-VF-GX-K006
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services; Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)
• Corporate Author: Family Violence Prevention Fund
• Sale Source: Family Violence Prevention Fund
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Instructional Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

These guidelines offer recommendations for child and adolescent health care providers in screening and responding to domestic violence; the guidelines also emphasize the need for child health providers to engage in, model, and assume leadership in delivering effective primary prevention of domestic violence as well as other types of family and community violence.

Abstract

Part One of these guidelines presents an overview of the impact of domestic violence on children and adolescents, as well as the rationale for regular and universal screening for domestic violence in child health settings. Specific topics covered in this overview are the prevalence of intimate partner violence, the health effects of intimate partner violence on adults and teen victims, the health effects of intimate partner violence on children, working cross culturally, and the importance of identifying and responding to abuse. Part Two of the guidelines addresses dilemmas that providers may encounter in discussing domestic violence with parents of their patients and adolescents. Topics discussed are intimate partner violence victimization reporting requirements for health care providers, asking about intimate partner violence with a child in the room, documentation, and responding to a child's disclosure of intimate partner violence in the home. Part Three presents specific guidelines for screening and response. Guidelines for screening encompass who and how often to screen, the screening process, what to ask, and who should screen. Guidelines for response focus on victim support, information dissemination, what to say to a child who has witnessed intimate partner violence, safety issues, referrals, reporting, documentation, and what to do if a patient resists addressing the problem. Part Four of the guidelines recommends ways to create a clinical environment that effectively responds to domestic violence. Appended supplementary information and resources, including a 40-item bibliography