Backfire: When Reporting Domestic Violence Means You Get Investigated for Child Abuse
By Abigail Kramer
Child welfare investigators are often among the first responders to domestic violence cases. Officials say their goal is to help not just kids but adult victims, protecting them from abusers and steering them into services like therapy or shelter. But critics of the system--including many advocates for domestic violence survivors--say that child welfare interventions often go terribly wrong, turning victims into suspects and creating chaos for vulnerable families.