In Antelope Valley, domestic violence survivors lack resources to reunite with kids in child welfare

Many domestic violence survivors who’ve had their children removed from them struggle in reuniting with their children due to a lack of resources, according to a new report from UCLA’s Pritzker Center for Strengthening Children and Families.

The report focused on domestic violence victims involved in the child welfare system in the Antelope Valley, which has the highest number of child welfare cases in Los Angeles County. It has also been at the center of several high-profile child deaths over the past decade.

The report built off a previous study that found that about half of open child welfare cases in the county in 2020 involved allegations of domestic violence.

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“Domestic violence contributes a high number of children to the child welfare system, and then once they're there, the response is lackluster at best,” said Taylor Dudley, executive director of the UCLA Pritzker Center.

Why people don’t leave

Dudley said they’ve spoken with survivors who have been told they’ve failed to protect their child by being exposed to or in a situation involving domestic violence, but that the victims often had no choice.

“[The Department of Children and Family Services] was asking the survivors, ‘Why don't you just leave?’ The courts were asking ‘Why didn't you just leave? Why did you keep your kid in this situation?’ And what we know is that it's not that easy to leave,” Dudley said.

L.A. County’s DCFS is one of the largest child protective agencies in the United States.

Dudley said a lack of housing, transportation, childcare and immigration status can make it difficult for survivors to escape abusive situations. “They wanted to leave but they had nowhere to go, and because of that their children were removed,” she said.

Domestic violence victims often navigated complex child welfare cases alone, and lacked resources such as transportation — which they needed to get to the parenting classes they were required to take to help get reunited with their children, Dudley said.

The role of child welfare workers

The report also found that victims were hurt by the power dynamic imposed on them by child welfare workers.

“They come in very intimidating. And even if the kids should be taken away, there's still a way to do it, you still should respect the parents,” one parent told report authors.

What does the report recommend?

The report recommends L.A. County expand services for survivors of domestic violence — like housing, childcare, transportation, and guaranteed income programs for survivors trying to establish an independent household.

The county Department of Children and Family Services, which partnered with UCLA on the report, said it’s taking lessons learned from the study.

“With the insights we’ve gained, we are creating environments where survivors can feel safe and free of guilt, shame or a sense of responsibility for the abuse they’ve endured,” said Brandon Nichols, director of the agency. “Most importantly, with this new guidance, we hope to help survivors access services and resources they need to heal themselves and their children."

Read the report