David Mandel of Safe & Together Institute (formerly David Mandel & Associates) talks about the importance of moving “child welfare systems” away from destructive practices to competent and proficient domestic violence-informed child welfare practices. He explains that “child welfare systems” refers not only to county and state-based systems, but also to all of those who are involved in evaluating cases and providing services to children and families affected by domestic violence. The Safe & Together Model is a powerful tool for becoming an effective, collaborative, domestic violence-informed practice and one of the key shifts in thinking involves taking the lens off of the common expectations placed on mothers and better understanding perpetrator patterns of behavior.
