Welfare caseworker assessments and domestic violence services: findings from administrative data and case narratives

The Family Violence Option (FVO) protects welfare recipients who are domestic violence victims or survivors by providing service referrals and waivers from certain requirements. Implementation of the FVO has been difficult for welfare agencies and disclosures and service uptake have been low. Using administrative data and caseworker notes, this study compares demographic and case characteristics and abuse experiences among four analytic groups. Although differences in demographics are most pronounced between victims and nonvictims, experiences with abuse and services differed between victims who received waivers versus those who did not. Findings indicate that caseworkers may base service decisions on abuse experiences.