Defining the Boundaries of Child Neglect: When Does Domestic Violence Equate With Parental Failure to Protect?

Date

2003

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Journal of Interpersonal Violence

Abstract

Child maltreatment does not exist in isolation from other forms of family violence. Notably, research supports the connection between wife abuse and child maltreatment, and research on the possible consequences to children exposed to domestic violence has influenced a redefinition of child maltreatment legislation and policy. Recently, some states have considered and passed legislation making witnessing of domestic violence, per se, a form of criminal child abuse. This article explores conceptual discontinuities in official definitions of child maltreatment in relation to domestic violence failure to protect matters by drawing on data from legislative reviews, child protective services, and individual-level definitions. Implications for policy, practice, and research are addressed. (Author Abstract)

Description

Keywords

child abuse, domestic violence, intimate partner violence, family violence, exposure to violence, child witness, neglect

Citation

Kantor, G. K., & Little, L. (2003). Defining the Boundaries of Child Neglect When Does Domestic Violence Equate With Parental Failure to Protect?. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18(4), 338-355.

DOI