Cross-System Dialogue: An Effective Strategy to Promote Communication between the Domestic Violence Community, Child Welfare System, and the Courts

摘要

In 1999, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges developed Effective Interventions in Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment Cases: Guidelines for Policy and Practice, also referred to as the 'Greenbook.' The Greenbook and its guiding principles were designed to promote dialogue among domestic violence service providers, child welfare agencies, and the courts in cases where domestic violence and child maltreatment co-occurred and to enhance system responses to families by enhancing victim safety, holding the batterer accountable, and promoting the stability and well-being of children. A primary focus of the Greenbook is on the importance of reducing conflict and building collaborations among system partners. To this end, the cross-system dialogue is one strategy that has been used to improve communication. The crosssystem dialogue is an approach that promotes and helps to facilitate communication among representatives working in the domestic violence, child welfare, and court system. It provides a formal structure to address conflict in a productive manner. Cross-system dialogues bring people together, lay the groundwork for effective communication, and give those who work with families experiencing both domestic violence and child maltreatment an increased confidence that meaningful cross-system communication is possible.