a collaboration to address domestic violence & child maltreatment greenbook initiative 20022002

A Collaboration to AddressDomestic Violence & Child

Maltreatment

Greenbook Initiative

20020022

20020022

DemographDemographicsics


St. Louis County, Missouri Population: 1,016,315

St. Louis County is independent from the City of St. Louis and is the largest county in Missouri.

Within the county, there are 92 municipalities, most of which operate domestic violence courts.

There are also 73 police departments within the county.

St. LouisCounty

Missouri

Middle and upper income neighborhoods are adjacent to poor areas.

In 1999, the municipal per capita income ranges from $4,831 to $86,978.

In 2000, approximately 11.2% of children under 18 live in poverty.

Also in that year, 52% of St. Louis County’s population are women.

The fragmented and extremely diverse structure of St. Louis presents many challenges to the

coordinated delivery of services

DemographicsDemographics

Greenbook InitiativeStatistics provided by 2000 U.S. Census Bureau State and County QuickFacts & St. Louis County Planning Department

In 2001, 4,041 restraining orders were issued by the Circuit Courts in the County of St. Louis.

The Family Crime Unit of the St. Louis County Police Department estimates that it made 4,500 domestic violence arrests in the same year.

St. LouisCounty

Missouri

In 2000, shelter and services were provided to 2,601 women and 1,625 children, which comes to a total 43,711 days of service.

During the same service period, 972 women and 1,048 children were turned away due to lack of space.

Thirty-five percent of children entering domestic violence shelters witnessed their mother’s abuse.


Greenbook InitiativeStatistics provided by St. Louis County Circuit Clerk’s Office, St. Louis County Police Department/Family Crime Unit & the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic Violence (MCADV)


The St. Louis County Children’s Division of the Department of Family Services (DFS) received 5,290 child abuse and neglect referrals for 15,285 children in 2001.

For 2001, the DFS provided out-of-home placement to 1,454 children.

St. LouisCounty

Missouri

In 2001, the Family Court’s Child Protection Services Department handled 1,814 child abuse and neglect cases and issued 308 child protection orders.


Statistics provided by Missouri Division of Family Services/St. Louis County, Child Protection Services/Family Court of St. Louis County, & St. Louis County Circuit Clerk’s Office

GoalsGoals



GoalsGoalsThe overall goal of this project is to develop a coordinated system of interventions that will address the needs of families where child maltreatment and domestic violence intersect and to institutionalize those interventions within and between participating partners. The project will focus on several critical areas:

The development of staff competency in all service systems

The improvement of community awareness

The development of information sharing between agencies permitting greater access to court and criminal justice information and victim resources and services

The development of a coordinated system of policies and procedures for domestic violence assessment and intervention, and the development of a community liaison service for battered mothers.

It is anticipated that the achievement of these goals will result in greater safety for children and

mothers and increase emotional wellbeing for children and their families.

FactsFacts


What is the purpose of the Initiative?

To effect system changes that will enable the courts, child protection services, and domestic violence service providers to work in a collaborative manner in providing the interventions needed to protect battered women and their children, as well as to hold violent perpetrators accountable.


FactsFactsFactsFacts

What will guide the system change process?

The Greenbook is a shorthand manner of referring to a publication by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges: Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence & Child Maltreatment: Guidelines for Policy and Practice. The cover of Effective Intervention is green, thus the inspiration for the name of the Initiative. This resource provides 16 principles and 67 recommendations for system change within the courts, child welfare, domestic violence services, mental health, and social services to more effectively serve families in need.



Who are the key partners in the Collaboration? The Family Court of St. Louis County is the lead agency for the Collaboration. The Court’s primary partner agencies are the St. Louis County Children Services Division of the Missouri Division of Family Services (DFS) and area domestic violence providers.



Who provides leadership for the Collaboration?

A Steering Committee of four representatives from the three primary partner agencies provides governance and overall direction for the Collaboration. An Implementation Committee of 20 agency representatives provides the leadership for effecting system changes at the agency and community levels. The Honorable Susan Block serves as the Chair of both committees.



How is the Initiative Funded?

The Family Court of St. Louis County is one of six “demonstration” sites, out of 90 applicants, chosen for this Initiative. The Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services will provide funding of $1 million dollars, over a three-year period. The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation provide funding for technical assistance to the demonstration sites.



What are the areas of focus for the Initiative?



Cross-train staff in each of the three partner agencies regarding the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child maltreatment.

Develop coordinated policies, procedures, and assessment protocols that will address both domestic violence and child maltreatment in the three partner agencies.

Develop confidential and secure ways to share information within and between partner agencies to effect better planning and case management.

Create community awareness about the need to provide a comprehensive array of accessible, culturally competent services that will respond to the unique strengths and concerns of families.

Secure funding for a Community Liaison service to assist battered women in achieving economic independence.

What are the outcomes the Collaboration is striving to achieve?



Increased safety and well being for adult and child victims of abuse.

Increased accountability for violent perpetrators.

A comprehensive community service system with multiple points of entry to address the needs of a wide range of family circumstances.

System change, within and between the primary partner agencies that incorporates best practices and Greenbook recommendations.

What are key elements that will make the Collaboration a success?



An inclusive planning and implementation process involving key leaders who are representative of the entire community.

A common vision that will engender trust and commitment to the change process: “What can we do to make adult and child victims of abuse safe and how can we hold abusers accountable for changing their violent behavior?”

Reallocation of resources to ensure the scope, diversity, and level of services needed to address the dual problems of domestic violence and child maltreatment in the community.

Greenbook Greenbook MomentsMoments





The following vignettes from Greenbook partners illustrate agency changes that have come about as a result of involvement with the Initiative.

Nina Balsam, Project Director/Legal AdvocacyMissouri Coalition Against Domestic Violence (MCADV)




Historically, battered women advocates and the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic Violence, have worked individually and systemically in the State of Missouri with Child Protective Services and children’s advocates to build relationships and mutual understanding. These efforts were designed to promote policies which did not blame the victim, but held batterer’s accountable, and allowed for children and their non-abusing parents to stay together whenever safely possible. Efforts included, for example, the Weinman Shelter developing a relationship with their local DFS office so that the same caseworker would be assigned to cases involving their residents. In addition, MCADV, worked with the Division of Social Services to develop policies for Child Protective Services when domestic violence also existed in the family and then trained 6,000 caseworkers to recognize domestic violence and deal with the family in accordance with the policy. Other elements of the community were also starting to work on this issue. For example, St. Louis County Family Court had workshops at their Stop Court & Train Day about “failure to protect” and provided an opportunity for GALs to be trained in domestic violence.

The Greenbook Initiative nationally has focused attention on the problem of how battered women and their children are dealt with in the courts and child protection systems when the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child maltreatment exists. The Greenbook makes recommendations and through the Initiative, these recommendations are to be implemented. These efforts at the national and local levels bring a level of resources, both financial and people, to identify the problem areas and come up with solutions that are in conformity with the recommendations of the Greenbook. This creates an unprecedented opportunity for reflection and change.

Locally, some change is already starting to occur. For example, organizations such as the Family Resource Center are talking with battered women advocates and incorporating training and screening into their programs in a way they never have. In addition, Child Protective Services at the St. Louis County Family Court are incorporating domestic violence training, and how to obtain Child Orders of Protection, into their training curriculum, and are trying to find funding to hire a domestic violence advocate. They have even started to obtain Child Ops in some of their cases. The domestic violence community is starting to galvanize around this issue to speak in one voice about systemic changes that need to be made.

I am hopefully that through the local Greenbook Initiative, relationships will continue to be built, that systems will evaluate where they are and where they need to be, that all partners will strive to develop mutual understanding and respect, and that tangible and sustainable change can be brought to systems and the individuals that work in them to benefit battered women and their children.

Linda McQuary, Intake Deputy Juvenile Officer Child Protection Services/Family Court of St. Louis County)




As a Child Protection Worker in the Intake Unit, I am assigned to child abuse/neglect cases when they are first referred to the Court. When a child comes into care, my role is to interview the parties, review reports from the police and social service agencies and make recommendations regarding the placement of a child. Often domestic violence is not the presenting issue with the cases I am assigned to, but it is frequently an underlying issue. Recommendation #57 of the Greenbook Initiated states:Where there is domestic violence in child protection cases, judges should make orders which -

a. keep the child and parent victim safe;b. keep the non-abusive parent and child together whenever

possiblec. hold the perpetrator accountable;

d. identify the service needs of all family members, including all forms of assistance and help for the child; safety, support and economic stability for the victim; and rehabilitation and accountability for the perpetrator;e. create clear, detailed visitation guidelines that focus upon safe exchanges and safe environments for visits Recently I was assigned a case that involved physical abuse. The juvenile was injured while attempting to protect his mother during a domestic altercation. The juvenile was placed with his mother subject to certain conditions. One condition being that the mother was to ensure that the boyfriend would not have any contact with the juvenile. Due to concerns with the mother’s ability to ensure that the boyfriend not have contact with the child (i.e. school and other public places when the mother was not with the juvenile), the need to keep both the mother and victim safe, and the desire to provide services to the boyfriend (as well as to hold him accountable), I obtained a Child Order of Protection against the boyfriend. Through the use of a Child Order of Protection the juvenile is protected from any contact with the perpetrator, immediate action is available due to the violation being a criminal matter, and the court ordered the boyfriend to participate in much needed services.

Greg Echele, Executive DirectorFamily Resource Center (FRC)




FRC is a community based child serving agency and has a 27 year history of child abuse treatment and prevention work … a significant part connected to domestic violence issues. After linking with Greenbook Initiative, FRC sought and received funding from Roblee Foundation for a dedicated staff member to better serve 60 child witnesses to domestic violence and 120 non-offending family members.

Recommendation/Principle: Importance of confidentiality and the coordination of services between providers without jeopardizing the safety of victims or their children.

We often encounter complicated cases which involve multiple providers and/or organizations. We have accepted the responsibility (and trained our staff accordingly) to coordinate carefully and to use Family Team Conferences, with appropriate participants, as a means of achieving outcomes and accountability. (cont.)

Greg Echele, Executive DirectorFamily Resource Center (FRC)

cont.




Example: Therapist is working with a family who has a 4-year-old and an 11-year-old. There are some school problems with the 11-year-old. The therapist arrived at the home to find bruises on the mother (the father is there), and an argument in progress. Another family member called the police and our therapist stayed until the police came. The husband left the home and the mother stayed. The therapist helped obtain an Order of Protection for the mother. The husband returned home and, when his wife wasn’t there, he obtained an Order of Protection against her. She went back into the home to get some of her possessions while he was asleep. He had her arrested for violation of Protection Order which he had received. She stayed with a friend until he became abusive again and she filed for another Order of Protection against him.

Her family made a CA/N Hotline call on the mother (not substantiated). She then moved back into the house with her husband who uses drugs. The police raided the house with sniffing dogs and she told them she had a marijuana pipe upstairs from a long time ago. When she retrieved it, and gave the pipe to the police, they filed a Possession of Paraphernalia Charge against her.

Our staff member helped mother find resources (support group, examine financial options); coordinated with the 11-year-old’s teacher; helped with drug assessment for the mother; helped the mother and kids with therapeutic issues of loss, fear, safety, instability, emotional upheaval, etc.; located housing; helped the mother realize her rights and abilities; helped her to devise a plan for herself and her children to remain safe; and set up a Family Team Conference to bring others together to help create more safety and family stability.

What changed: a general awareness on our part of the complicated nature of many cases involving domestic violence, the need for specialized, time-consuming intervention at multiple levels of engagement, and the acquisition of part funding for a dedicated staff member to assist 60 child witnesses and 120 non-offending family members.

a collaboration to address domestic violence & child maltreatment greenbook initiative 20022002

Documents

county of

louis county missouri

county quickfacts

largest county

louis countys population

domestic violence courts

domestic violence mcadv

child abuse