• Summary: Domestic violence often directly and indirectly undermines the relationship between mothers and their children. This paper describes ‘the tactics of abuse’ that are instrumental in this damaging process and draws on previous research by one of the authors which shows that a conspiracy of silence can ensue, precluding talk of the abuse that women and children have experienced. The first stage of a four-year action research process designed to address some of these issues is discussed. • Findings: Early findings show that those women and children living in refuges or using outreach services who chose to work together on activities have found the process beneficial. They have provided critical feedback about how the project and activities can be revised for the second action research cycle. The research also shows that not all women are ready to engage in this process when they enter a refuge, and it does require them to acknowledge that their children have been exposed to, and negatively affected by, domestic violence. • Applications: The implications for social workers and specifically the need to provide active support for the mother-child relationship in the aftermath of domestic violence are discussed.
This article discusses, in the context of the United Kingdom, service user participation in domestic violence services and how much the voices of domestic violence survivors are heard in policy and service development. If services addressing domestic violence are to continue to develop and to effectively meet abused women's needs, then the views of those using them need to be heeded and acted on. In the UK, these views have been mainly overlooked in the past. Now, however, as in some other countries, domestic violence survivor participation has been addressed to a small extent. This article discusses some of the pioneering techniques being tried out and the sensitivity and difficulties involved, within a context of an understanding of empowerment and the activist movement against gender violence. The article considers the participation of UK women experiencing violence in both shelter and advocacy services, in wider interagency forums and in policy development.
The links between disability and domestic violence have been under-examined to date, leading to the marginalisation of disabled women affected by domestic violence in theory, politics, and practice. This paper draws on the findings from the first national study in the United Kingdom of the needs of disabled women experiencing domestic violence and of the services available to meet these needs. Utilising the concept of intersectionality to locate abused disabled women along axes of oppression/domination, the paper highlights the complex nature of women's abuse experiences as well as the inadequacy of professional responses which leave women without support and protection. Points of interestSince the links between disabled women and domestic violence are underexplored, this article crucially merges existing literature with the findings of recent national UK research to highlight the experiences of disabled women affected by domestic violence. Given the inadequate attention given to disabled women affected by domestic violence in the disability and domestic violence sectors, along with other statutory agencies and professionals, the discussion in this paper will provide crucial information about the issue to a wide range of professionals. Importantly, it is intended to raise issues and questions that, if addressed by all concerned, can contribute to improving the situation for abused disabled women. The paper contains recommendations for both the domestic violence and disability sectors and develops new conceptualisations of domestic abuse as experienced by disabled women. IntroductionDespite key developments in theory and practice in both the domestic violence and disability fields, the link between domestic violence and disabled women has been
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