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Violence against an intimate partner has been historically perceived and treated as a separate issue from violence against children – so much so that survivors of domestic violence were often punitively punished for the violence their children faced from the same abuser. However, research has demonstrated that about 40 percent of families experiencing either domestic violence or child maltreatment are also experiencing the other form of violence (RCDC:CPC). There are many reasons why domestic violence can increase the risk for child maltreatment, including:

  • Exposure to domestic violence – children may witness the intimate partner violence happening in the home, which is a form of child abuse outlined in NH law.
  • “Failure to protect” – parents who are victims of domestic violence are unable to protect their children from abuse, as they are unable to protect themselves from the same violence, in the same home, from the same abuser.
  • Neglect – parents who are victims of domestic violence may be physically, emotionally, or mentally incapable of caring for their children due to the violence they are experiencing or fear of retaliation from their abuser.

With the help of domestic violence experts, institutions are adapting to understand the limitations survivors have to protect their children from their abuser.

In New Hampshire, the Family Violence Prevention Specialist (FVPS) program embeds crisis center advocates in NH-DCYF district offices across the state, in order to provide domestic violence expertise in child abuse/neglect cases. The FVPS program was introduced to New Hampshire in 1998 through the collaboration of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (NHCADSV) and the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Their goal is to improve the interventions in families experiencing this co-occurrence of violence and to maximize survivor safety, well-being, and resources available. This is done through crisis center advocacy, consultation, and expertise within DCYF offices;  facilitating cross-training for DCYF staff to improve their decision-making and safety planning; and providing opportunities for survivors to get the confidential crisis center support they need.  

Since May 2022, the Crisis Center of Central New Hampshire’s FVPS advocate has received nearly 300 DCYF reports that have a co-occurrence of domestic violence and child abuse/neglect in Merrimack County. DCYF workers have the opportunity to meet with the FVPS advocate during their scheduled office hours three times a week, where they ask for advice on how to approach clients in a trauma- and domestic violence-informed way. It is the goal of the FVPS program to connect every survivor of domestic violence & child abuse/neglect with the most beneficial services for their unique situation.

The statewide FVPS program is a unique form of intervention for the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child maltreatment. However, there is more work to be done to ensure that survivors are truly being heard and supported in institutions that DHHS operates – like the Department of Financial Assistance and Juvenile Justice Services – in order to create wraparound, sustainable solutions to the complexities of co-occurring violence.