Commit to Antiracist Practice
Help Families with Actual Needs
Advance Legal/Policy Protections
Nurture Partnerships
Generate Relevant Research
Eliminate Incentives for Child Removal
Responses to survivors of domestic violence in the child welfare system should be developed from research that directly pertains to the experiences, strengths, challenges of those most effected. The American Evaluation Association recognizes that evaluations cannot be culture free. Those who engage in evaluation do so from perspectives that reflect their values, their ways of viewing the world, and their culture; it shapes the ways questions are conceptualized and influences what and how data is collected, analyzed, and interpreted. Research has established, for example, that most parenting information is biased and based mostly on studies conducted on children in the U.S. and other western European countries. This bias becomes entrenched in textbooks and continuing education translated into the knowledge and curriculums used widely. This is problematic since less than 3% of study participants that contribute to knowledge of children’s psychological development come from Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East combined, though they contain 85% of the world’s population. Additionally, 80% of this research report their participants come from middle-to-high socio- economic backgrounds. More relevant research will recognize the limits of knowledge production, address the historical misuse of research and challenge historical assumptions regarding “objectivity.”
A Tool to Create Change
Download a tool that provides relevant research to support improvements in systems and services to better meet the needs of survivors and their children.
Strategies to counter these challenges can include:
Recognize the limits of knowledge production
- Encourage child welfare workers and researchers to acknowledge the potential biases and limitations inherent in research design and data collection methods
- Emphasize the importance of being transparent about the cultural context and perspectives that shape research questions and findings
- Promote interdisciplinary collaborations to bring diverse perspectives and expertise to the research process
Investigate the historical misuse of research and evaluation of BIPOC communities
- Conduct critical analyses of historical research and evaluation practices that have perpetuated harmful stereotypes and biases against BIPOC communities
- Develop guidelines and ethical standards for conducting research that safeguards the dignity and well-being of communities involved
Challenge historical assumptions regarding professionalization and “objectivity”
- Encourage child welfare workers and researchers to question traditional notions of objectivity in research and recognize the role of subjectivity and bias in shaping knowledge
- Promote reflexive practices that encourage researchers to examine their own biases and assumptions throughout the research process
Evaluate program models using a variety of methods
- Include qualitative data collection methods, such as interviews, focus groups, and case studies, to capture the diverse experiences and perspectives of survivors and families
Center marginalized voices through participatory research
- Recognize the expertise of survivors, BIPOC, and their communities as active co-researchers to elevate their experiences and insights, effectively challenging the historical silencing of their narratives
- Shift the paradigm of researcher-subject dynamic to disrupt the power imbalances between researchers and participants
- Transforming research into action to lead policy reforms, community initiatives, and advocacy efforts that reflect the aspirations of BIPOC survivors, fostering an environment of liberation and justice
Value storytelling as a form of evidence-based practice
- Incorporate survivor stories and testimonials into research reports, policy briefs, and program evaluations to highlight the impact of services on survivors and their families
Track prevalence data -- ask survivors what other systems and agencies they are involved with and use data to encourage new partnerships and to leverage local community and government funding
- Use prevalence data to identify opportunities for collaboration and partnership with other service providers, government agencies, and community organizations
Resources
- The Hispanic Experience of the Child Welfare System: Social Emotional Learning and Equity
This article centers the importance of social-emotional learning and prioritizing educational equity and belonging as a primary goal of social-emotional learning and strategically apply what we know from research on the effects of race and racism, the relationship between culture and learning, and the neuroscience of healthy brain development. -
Action Research at the Intersection of Structural and Family Violence in an Immigrant Latino Community: A Youth-led Study
This study addresses the lack of research exploring the social and emotional impact of anti-immigrant policy on Latino communities, and the intersection of anti-immigrant climates with other family stressors, like domestic violence (DV). In this paper we describe a qualitative study led by the participatory action research group La Voz Juvenile de Caminar Latino. Youth researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with Latino men, women, and youth participating in a domestic violence program. Using an inductive approach to thematic analysis, researchers identified themes that reflect how Latino families with histories of DV experience an increasingly anti-immigrant climate. The findings of this study suggest that anti-immigrant sentiment and policy creates undue stress for Latino families and barriers to formal help-seeking for DV. The participatory research process provided a corrective experience for youth witnesses of DV and prioritizes the voices of those most affected by immigration policies and violence.
- Confronting Structural Racism in Research and Policy Analysis
In November 2018, the Urban Institute hosted a roundtable discussion with 23 organizations representing policy research, academia, and philanthropy to share approaches, insights, and lessons from efforts to confront structural racism in research and policy analysis. This brief discusses the rationale for these efforts at implementing institutional change; the range of challenges and constraints facing different types of research organizations; and participants’ experiences to date with specific tools and strategies. The brief aims to advance understanding of and attention to structural racism in the field of policy research. - Power Through Partnerships: A CBPR Toolkit for Domestic Violence Researchers
This toolkit is for researchers across disciplines and social locations who are working in academic, policy, community, or practice-based settings. In particular, the toolkit provides support to emerging researchers as they consider whether and how to take a CBPR approach and what it might mean in the context of their professional roles and settings. Domestic violence advocates will also find useful information on the CBPR approach and how it can help answer important questions about your work. - Using a Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation Approach to Guide Research and Evaluation
Culturally responsive and equitable evaluation (CREE) is an approach that should be infused into all evaluation methodologies and designs. It requires integrating diversity, inclusion, and equity principles into all phases of evaluation. CREE advances equity by informing strategy, program improvement, decision making, policy formation, and change. This publication identifies the nine stages of evaluation and presents examples of how to incorporate CREE into each stage of evaluation.
- Reimagining our Approach to Research to Advance Racial Equity
This presentation by Amanda Coleman, Deputy Division Director of the Division of Child and Family Development at OPRE, served as a call to reimagine research approaches to advance racial equity. The talk addressed the following topics: (1) The role that the federal government has played in creating and sustaining systemic racial inequities; (2) Privilege and power dynamics between researchers and those being researched; (3) The role that community engagement can play in enhancing research and advancing racial equity.