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Working from Inside and Outside Institutions: How Safety Audits Can Help Courts' Decision Making Around Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment

As systems begin to work collaboratively to address the overlap of domestic violence and child maltreatment, systems-analysis approaches are also being explored to test the effectiveness of collaborative interventions in meeting the needs of victims and their families. The institutional safety audit model is one such approach currently being explored in sites across the country. Under this model, case files of families receiving services are submitted to an analysis that compares the interventions received with the needs that were demonstrated. Though still in a formative stage, the institutional safety audit has the potential to be used by the courts as an innovative information-gathering tool on the effectiveness of court-ordered interventions. This article will provide a detailed overview of the safety audit model, describe how safety audits are currently being used in the field, and discuss how the courts can incorporate safety audit findings into decision-making around domestic violence and child maltreatment.