Social Work with Children Affected by Domestic Violence: An Analysis of Policy and Practice Implications

The past decade has seen an increasing awareness of the emotional harm to children that can ensue from exposure to domestic violence. This article develops a framework for understanding social work responses, using an analysis of recent developments in British policy as an example. It is argued that to understand what these developments mean in practice we need to develop our analysis of the value perspectives underpinning them. Issues facing those charged with implementing these sometimes ambiguous policy and practice changes are discussed in three levels of intervention: the macro, the intermediate, and the 'street-level.' The article concludes by calling for closer collaboration between policy makers, practitioners and service users in the co-production of policy.