Educational psychologists’ conceptualisation of domestic violence

Abstract

There is an increasing awareness of the impact of domestic violence (DV) on children’s psychological wellbeing. Children witnessing DV are defined as at risk of harm in the Adoption and Children Act (2002). The British Psychological Society state children exposed to DV have suffered psychological abuse. It can have a long lasting impact on their lives. Supporting such children has not traditionally received a high priority within the education and schools sector although there has been recent interest in the role of schools in addressing DV. However, the contribution educational psychologists can make to this debate has been neglected. A small-scale study was conducted to explore how educational psychologists conceptualised DV and the role they could have in working with schools and children and families. Five psychologists from services in two local authorities were interviewed using a semi-structured interview and a thematic analysis was conducted. The role of the psychologist and facilitators and barriers to practice were considered. It is concluded that educational psychologists face challenges in working with DV. Issues of professional sensitivities around DV, invisibility and secrecy of DV and lack of role clarity are identified. It is argued that some of the inherent difficulties occur because of the hidden nature of children within DV as they have been marginalised and minimised within the dominant discourse of DV as an adult problem.