In Whose Best Interest? A Canadian Case Study of the Impact of Child Welfare Policies in Cases of Domestic Violence

Abstract

North American child protection systems have been experiencing an era of sweeping child
\nwelfare reform over the last decade. Despite the breadth of these changes, legislative and
\npolicy impacts are rarely evaluated to ascertain whether changes are resulting in the
\noutcomes they were designed to achieve. Using a participatory research framework,
\n70 participants from relevant service sectors and service recipients from a large urban
\ncentre in Canada, were interviewed about legislation in cases of children exposed to
\ndomestic violence. While most stakeholders noted the ‘‘spirit of the Act’’ to be
\nwell-meaning and based on a credible body of child research, there were serious concerns
\ncited with the implementation and impact of policies that resulted from this piece of child
\nwelfare legislation. Reluctance of abused women to disclose or seek services for their
\nfamilies, isolation between helping professionals from different sectors, increased demand
\nfor services, increased surveillance of mothers, and decreased accountability of
\nperpetrators were predominant themes identified. These data strongly suggest that
\nresponse models be tested as pilot studies, rigorously evaluated and fully implemented
\nonly when there are assurances that appropriate and adequate services are available to
\nmeet the complex needs of the communities they are designed to serve.