When Violence at Home Affects a Child: How CASA Provides a Consistent Voice

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time to recognize the impact of domestic violence, honor survivors, and help families connect with support.

 

Domestic violence is not limited to physical harm. It can include emotional abuse, threats, intimidation, isolation, financial control, stalking, and other behaviors used to gain or maintain power over another person. Although the abuse may be directed toward an intimate partner, its effects can reach every person in the home, including children.

 

For children involved in the family court system, domestic violence may be one part of a much larger and more complicated story. Understanding how it affects them is an important part of protecting their safety, supporting their healing, and advocating for their best interests.

 

Children Do Not Have to Be Physically Harmed to Be Affected

A child may hear violence from another room, see injuries afterward, witness a caregiver being threatened, or sense the fear and instability within the home. They may be used to manipulate or monitor a caregiver, placed in the middle of adult conflict, or forced to make decisions no child should have to make.

Even when children do not fully understand what is happening, they can still be deeply affected by it.

Their responses may look different depending on their age, development, experiences, and support systems. Some children may become anxious, withdrawn, unusually quiet, or fearful. Others may struggle with anger, aggression, concentration, sleep, school attendance, or relationships. Younger children may regress in behaviors they had previously outgrown, while older children may take on adult responsibilities or feel responsible for protecting a parent or younger siblings.

There is no single way a child responds to domestic violence. Some effects may be immediately visible, while others may emerge over time. A child’s behavior is often communicating something that they do not yet have the words to explain.

 

Children May Carry Conflicting Feelings

Domestic violence can create complicated emotions for children. A child may love and miss a parent while also feeling afraid of that person’s behavior. They may worry about the safety of a caregiver, blame themselves for what happened, or feel pressure to choose sides.

 

Children may also experience significant changes after domestic violence is reported. They could leave their home, change schools, become separated from siblings or relatives, or begin living with a new caregiver. Even when those changes are necessary for safety, the loss of familiar people, places, and routines can be difficult.

 

It is important to avoid placing responsibility on the child or the caregiver who experienced the abuse. Domestic violence is the responsibility of the person choosing to use abusive and controlling behavior. Supporting families requires listening without judgment, recognizing the survivor’s efforts to protect the child, and keeping safety at the center of every decision.

 

How CASA Volunteers Help

CASA of the Heartland volunteers are appointed by judges to advocate for the best interests of children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or dependency. When domestic violence is part of a child’s case, the CASA volunteer provides another consistent person who is focused on the child’s safety, well-being, and long-term needs.

 

CASA volunteers do not investigate allegations of domestic violence, determine whether abuse occurred, or replace law enforcement, social workers, attorneys, therapists, or domestic violence professionals. Instead, they gather information from the child and the people involved in the child’s life, review relevant records, monitor the child’s circumstances, and share fact-based observations and recommendations with the court.

A CASA volunteer may:

• Spend consistent time with the child and listen to their concerns, experiences, and wishes

• Observe changes in the child’s behavior, emotional well-being, relationships, or living environment

• Speak with caregivers, teachers, social workers, attorneys, therapists, and other professionals involved in the case

• Review records and help identify gaps in services or information

• Monitor whether court-ordered services and safety measures are being followed

• Advocate for stability in the child’s home, school, healthcare, counseling, and important relationships

• Bring concerns to the appropriate members of the child’s professional team

• Make recommendations to the judge based on the child’s individual needs and best interests

Depending on the circumstances, recommendations may address trauma-informed counseling, safe visitation arrangements, stable housing and schooling, medical or behavioral health services, sibling and family connections, services for caregivers, or other protections intended to support the child’s safety and healing.

 

Every recommendation must be based on the specific facts of the case. Domestic violence affects families differently, and there is no single solution that is appropriate for every child.

 

Consistency Can Help a Child Begin to Heal

Children impacted by domestic violence need safety, but they also need adults who listen, believe their experiences matter, and continue showing up.

A CASA volunteer can provide consistency while many other parts of a child’s life are changing. By getting to know the child and maintaining regular contact throughout the case, the volunteer can help ensure that the child’s needs do not become lost among court hearings, service plans, placement changes, and adult decisions.

 

CASA volunteers cannot erase what a child has experienced. They can help make sure the child is seen, heard, and supported as decisions are made about their future.

Awareness Must Lead to Support

Domestic Violence Awareness Month reminds us that what happens between adults in a home can have a lasting effect on children. It also reminds us that healing is possible when children and families are surrounded by safety, appropriate services, and consistent support.

 

CASA of the Heartland will continue working alongside the courts, caregivers, professionals, and community partners to advocate for children affected by domestic violence and other forms of trauma. Our goal is to ensure that each child’s voice is heard and that their safety, well-being, and best interests remain at the center of the case.

 

To learn more about CASA of the Heartland or becoming a CASA volunteer, visit casaheartland.org.

 

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, confidential support is available through the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Call 800-799-SAFE (7233), text START to 88788, or visit the website to chat with an advocate. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.