Practice in a Time of Uncertainty: Practitioner Reflections on Working With Families Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

Abstract

This paper reports findings of a qualitative study examining the perceptions of 21 Australian women professionals who conduct home visiting with families experiencing intimate partner violence. There is scant evidence documenting how home visiting professionals adapted practice to address the safety concerns of women and their children within the context of the pandemic. Practitioners noted an increase in the risk level and complexity of intimate partner violence (IPV), including the ways that perpetrators weaponized the pandemic to exert power and control over women and children. Practitioners reported on their rapid adaptation of practices, to ensure the continuation of services which included moving to online delivery methods, wearing PPE, and negotiating practice from a distance. While responses to these changes were mixed, most reported their desire to continue to use online platforms post-pandemic, reporting increased safety, flexibility, and accessibility for the majority of clients. This research addresses a gap in respect of professionals’ perceptions of the issues facing survivors of IPV and of their professional practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. As policies, practices, and protocols continue to adapt to the challenging environment posed by the pandemic the experiences of professionals and service users are critical to inform these changes.

Taking Care at Work: Gender, Coping, and Anti-Violence Work During COVID-19

“…Our findings help unveil the ways we may think about drastically addressing the workplace stressors and “fragile systems” (Heward-Belle et al, 2021, p. 10) associated with gendered, high-stress workplaces—and remind us not to remain complacent with a return to pre-pandemic resources. If the coping strategies in a frontline worker's toolkit become imbued with a new layer of stress and strain, they may fail to adequately protect against burnout, especially in social welfare sectors like anti-violence service provision, where exhaustion and re-traumatization are often looming (Baird & Jenkins, 2003).…”

“…This article reflects research conducted in service of understanding the nuances of anti-violence service provision during COVID-19. We situate this project alongside Quinlan and Singh's (2020) exploration of Canadian domestic violence service provision and Heward-Belle et al's (2021) interviews with anti-violence health professionals in Australia. Author 1 and Author 2 joined to explore how the dual impacts of COVID-19 spread and mitigation strategies affected service providers in the anti-violence 3 sector.…”

“…Beyond interagency communication, workers’ ability to cope was also constrained by the lack of available, accessible social support and communal care (Korczynski, 2003). Given that safety protocols to mitigate COVID-19 often relied on a virtual pivot (Fiorentino et al, 2022; Heward-Belle et al, 2021; Ross et al, 2022), they encountered less casual face-to-face interaction and more formal intra-agency communication (Brown & O’Brien, 1998). Service providers frequently mentioned spontaneous “water cooler” conversations as a mechanism to sort through their own emotions, make the work less draining, and find solutions to obstacles that still maintained client confidentiality, as this manager explained:One thing that has always helped me get through the work is […] when I could walk down the hall to the water cooler or get some coffee or see someone down the hall just in passing.…”

“…Workplace Pace as Stressor Workplaces adapted to viral mitigation efforts through the remote office, including a pivot to platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Given the intensity of their operations-especially in a climate that may have led to increased violence (Quinlan & Singh, 2020)-anti-violence workers were often left without a grace period for a technological learning curve (Heward-Belle et al, 2021). In fact, the need to adapt to new workplace practices brought their own set of stressors on top of pandemic anxiety.…”

Caught in the Neoliberal Churn: Pushing Back Against “Productivity” as a Measure of Impact

“…Heightened vulnerabilities and an eroding capacity to withstand unrelenting changes and acceleration have occupied many pages of journals, including ours (Kim et al, 2021). Critical feminist research showed us how the pandemic disproportionately threatened the lives and well-being of Latinx immigrants (Cross & Gonzalez Benson, 2021), Latina immigrants (Cleaveland & Waslin, 2021), sex workers (Bromfield et al, 2021), intimate partner violence survivors (Heward-Belle et al, 2022), student mothers (LaBrenz et al, 2023), trafficking survivors (Namy et al, 2023), and anti-violence workers (Welch & Schwarz, 2023). Social work scholars like Stephanie Lechuga-Peña (2022) showed us how pandemic conditions disproportionately impacted the “productivity” of pre-tenure BIPOC junior women faculty.…”