Key decisions in child protection services in cases of domestic violence: maintaining services and out-of-home placement Chantal Lavergne*, Dominique Damant†, Marie-Ève Clément‡, Chantal Bourassa§, Geneviève Lessard** and Pierre Turcotte** *Centre Jeunesse de Montréal-Institut Universitaire, Montreal, Canada, †Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada, ‡Université du Québec en Outaouais, Gatineau, Canada, §Université de Moncton, Canada, and **Université Laval, Québec, Canada ABSTRACT This paper looks at the response of the child protection services (CPS) system in cases where exposure to domestic violence occurs alone or together with abuse or neglect, focusing on the factors involved in decisions to maintain the case open for ongoing services or remove children from the home. The study is based on an analysis of clinical and administrative data from the files on children reported to a CPS agency in Montreal, Canada. A total of 1 071 substantiated reports were documented, including 337 cases of co-occurrence (32%). Analysis of the data shows that domestic violence does not by itself constitute a factor liable to lead to more intrusive intervention. The CPS response appears to be influenced more by the existence of other forms of maltreatment and risk factors. Additionally, while domestic violence may be associated with more severe individual and family problems, it does not influence the decision to keep the case open because the child still need services. The lack of any connection between domestic violence and this decision is a cause for concern, as results indicate that such families need help. Knowing how to respond to their needs therefore remains a major challenge. Correspondence: Chantal Lavergne, Centre Jeunesse de Montréal-IU (CJM-IU), 1001 De Maisonneuve Blvd. East, Montreal, Quebec, H2L 4R5, Canada E-mail: chantal.lavergne@cjm-iu.qc.ca Keywords: child abuse and neglect, child protection services, domestic violence, factors involved in decisions, social work pratices Accepted for publication: November 2010 INTRODUCTION An increasing number of studies show that child pro- tection services (CPS) are frequently called in to deal with maltreated children in families where there is domestic violence. Research indicates that a quarter to a half of all families whose children are referred to CPS are beset by such violence (English et al. 2005). According to a 2005 survey of Canadian CPS agencies, the extent of the problem has increased in recent years. Between 1998 and 2003, exposure to domestic vio- lence was the child maltreatment problem that saw the sharpest increase, going from 1.72 substantiated cases per 1000 to 6.17 (Trocmé et al. 2005). This jump, say the authors, is in part because of amendments made to child protection legislation in several Canadian prov- inces and to changes in the attitudes of professionals and the general public towards the harmful effects of such exposure on children. There are therefore good reasons to examine the profiles of the children and parents who are struggling with this problem and to assess CPS responses to their needs. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND CHILD PROTECTION Recognition of the connections between domestic vio- lence and maltreatment of children has prompted some critical thinking about CPS responses to these situa- tions. A number of authors have taken CPS agencies and services for battered women to task for addressing family problems in a fragmented fashion that fails doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2010.00750.x 1 Child and Family Social Work 2011 © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd