Ontario child protection workers' views on assessing risk and planning for safety in exposure to domestic violence cases

Abstract

The use of standardized tools to assess risk for children is mandatory in the child protection sector in Ontario. Factors that can be used specifically to assess the risk of lethality in exposure to domestic violence (DV) cases, however, are largely missing from these tools. Using data from an online survey of 138 child protection workers in Ontario, the current study examines practitioners' risk assessment and safety planning practices with DV cases. Findings provide an overview of the frequency of risk assessment and management strategies within various environmental contexts (e.g., urban and rural) and populations (e.g., indigenous and immigrants/refugees). According to the practitioners sampled, assessing and managing risk are frequently and consistently completed across the province, although specific strategies and challenges vary. Although mandatory provincial child protection tools are commonly used, some workers report using other specific DV risk assessment tools to complement their own measurement of risk and planning for safety. Respondents emphasized the importance of working collaboratively with families and professionals in other sectors to address risk. Implications for future research include exploring the barriers and challenges of using DV-specific risk assessments in child protection and factors contributing to these challenges as identified by practising child protection workers. K E Y W O R D S child protection, child welfare, domestic violence, risk assessment, safety planning 1 | INTRODUCTION Domestic violence (DV) is a serious public health and social concern that can result in homicide (World Health Organization, 2013). DV impacts the family system-not only the parent-victim but also the developing child (Jenney & Alaggia, 2018) and the caregiver-child relationship (Wendt, Buchanan, & Moulding, 2015). Estimates indicate that over half of DV incidents in Canada include children who witness violence (Kaukinen, Powers, & Meyer, 2016). In rare cases, children may be harmed or killed as a result of DV, either by being caught in the crossfire or being targeted in an act of revenge against the primary victim for leaving the relationship (Jaffe, Campbell, Olszowy, & Hamilton, 2014). Even if children survive a homicide or homicide-suicide, they have to deal with the trauma of horrific deaths, losing one or both parents and the complete disruption of their sense of stability and security (Alisic, Krishna, Groot, & Frederick, 2015). Domestic homicides do not happen out of the blue; prior risk factors and warning signs often exist, but formal agencies and informal supports often miss opportunities to properly assess them or intervene (Reif & Jaffe, 2019).