Failure to Protect
Many Domestic Violence Prevention agencies in Los Angeles report they provide legal and/or supportive services to Domestic Violence survivors who have either been charged with or threatened to be charged with failure to protect. A failure to protect charge can be levied against someone who is aware of child abuse, knows the identity of the abuser, but fails to report it to law enforcement. A charge of failure to protect does not take into account that a parent or guardian may remain silent if they themselves are victims of the same abuser.
VNC has partnered with UCLA Pritzker Center for Strengthening Children and Families to better understand the intersection of child welfare and domestic violence, and the risk to children living in homes where domestic violence is present.
For victims facing domestic violence the decision to reach out for help, and the ensuing threat or actual loss of their children, can be emotionally devastating for both the parent and the child. Many children caught in this situation will then find themselves in foster care for domestic violence because of an assumed risk of harm. Indeed, holding a victim responsible for the violent and criminal conduct of their partner perpetuates the belief that allegedly helpful government services are not protective, but punitive, and the threat of being charged with failure to protect can lead to increased isolation, distrust and danger for both parent and child.
Through this research with UCLA Pritzker Center, we are learning whether removing a child or threatening to remove them from a non-offending parent and victim of domestic violence is protective, or if it creates a long-term risk of harm. Simply put, we want to know if our present system is breaking the intergenerational cycle of violence or perpetuating it. We also want to assess what options, beyond removal, exist. By bringing together public and private stakeholders, researchers and experts — and addressing this issue as a public health issue — we are able to analyze policy, practice and consequence, and develop systemic recommendations that promote well-being and healing for families.
Read the Child Welfare and Domestic Violence Report here
To view the 4-part online series Exploring Child Welfare and Domestic Violence click here: