The mission of the Center on Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) at the Rutgers University School of Social Work is to strive to eliminate physical, sexual, and other forms of violence against women and children and the power imbalances that permit them. This mission is accomplished through the use of a collaborative approach that focuses…

Studies about equine therapies or equine experiential learning recommend that significantly more research, specifically longitudinal research, across age groups, genders, contexts and client cohorts needs to occur in diverse contexts. There exists diverse equine-related programs which engage with a range of cohorts, specifically; young children…

Life challenges and traumas come in many forms and the capacity to bounce back, adapt, and move on to a new normal also comes in many forms. This study examined some common life challenges and trauma experiences and how persons in these have reacted and grown past the experiences. The study also used action research to provide graduate student…

Clinical research during the pregnancy period is maximally beneficial for participants if it is positive, inclusive, and therapeutic. We describe our ongoing study of ethnically diverse, low-income pregnant women and fathers-to-be that leverages participants' benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) and promotes insight to counteract mental health…

The birth of a child can be a simultaneously joyous and challenging time for families. Virtually all parents will struggle with the enormous physical and emotional demands of parenting a very young child, but for too many California families those challenges are additionally compounded by poverty, housing instability, lack of social support, or…

The Safe Start demonstration projects, funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) under the first phase of the Safe Start initiative, are primarily designed to influence change at the systems or macrolevels to reduce the incidence of and impact of exposure to violence for children aged birth to 6 years; direct…

In many cultures, approximately one third of people with drug dependence are women of child-bearing age. Substance use among pregnant and parenting women is a major public health concern. Aboriginal people have some of the highest rates of substance abuse in Canada, increasing concern for detrimental health impacts, including those for women and…

Objective: High levels of domestic violence, mental illness, and alienation from authorities are associated with high incidence of children/adolescents living on the streets in low and middle income countries. The Equilibrium Project (Programa Equilibrio) was created to facilitate social reintegration through a virtual partnership between an…

Children's exposure to violence (CEV)--including direct child maltreatment, witnessing domestic violence, and witnessing community and school violence--can have serious consequences, including a variety of psychiatric disorders and behavioral problems, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Fortunately, research has shown…

Guided by research and the experiences of judges nationwide, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges made a commitment in 1998 to improve community response to families experiencing domestic violence and child maltreatment. A year later, the council's work culminated in a set of recommendations commonly called the "Greenbook,"…

This book, written by staff members of the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN) and of NCCAN-funded projects, presents their reflections about their experiences in providing, supporting, and evaluating treatment to abused and neglected adolescents. It is intended to serve as a source book for those concerned with the problem of…

This book presents 19 papers on child abuse and neglect. A brief introduction by Health and Human Services Secretary, Margaret Heckler is followed by 13 major issue papers: "Combatting Child Abuse and Neglect" by the assistant secretary for Human Development Services, Dorcas R. Hardy; "What Have We Learned about Child…

Presents an overview of the Minneapolis Domestic Abuse Project's program of support and education groups for children of battered women. Discusses clinical issues involved in working with these children. (BB)

Discusses the problems of battered women in terms of four types of battering, the incidence and significance of battering, and theories of the causes of battering. Presents psychological profiles of battered women and men who batter and describes the role of Hiatus House, a residential shelter in Ontario. (JAC)

Described is the first program in the State of Ohio for serving parents who need relief from parenting responsibilities or assistance during a period of crisis. Turning Point, a joint project of the North Side Child Development Center and the League Against Child Abuse, is a crisis assistance program that operates weekends to serve a maximum of 10…