Practitioner accounts of responding to parent abuse – a case study in ad hoc delivery, perverse outcomes and a policy silence

Abstract

A B S T R AC TParent abuse is becoming recognized as a serious problem in some families. It can have a damaging impact on physical and mental health, family relationships and employment and has been found to be implicated in other past, current and future forms of family abuse and violence. For this reason, many frontline practitioners who work with troubled families frequently find incidents of parent abuse in their caseloads, but we know little of how they respond to it. This study used in-depth interviews with nine practitioners who work in a range of agencies in one large county in England and explored how they each identify, conceptualize, explain and respond to parent abuse. In a context where there is no national guidance regarding how agencies should respond to this problem, this study finds that practitioners must 'make do' without appropriate resources or policy guidance to help them. The study concludes with suggestions for change for the benefit of families who seek support but who currently find little effective response.

Adolescent-to-Parent Violence: Translating Research into Effective Practice

“…Parents are reluctant to request law enforcement assistance and are often ambivalent about the best course of action for their families. Parents report that they find it difficult to make a call to police about their child and thus adolescent-toparent violence is likely to be an underreported problem (Holt and Retford 2012). Also, parents do not consistently seek the same response.…”

“…Also, parents do not consistently seek the same response. For example, some parents may want the child removed (Holt 2011), whereas others want the police to simply talk to their child (Holt and Retford 2012). Many parents report feeling that police minimize the situation, and thus leave them with a sense of hopelessness about the possibility of lasting change (Cottrell and Monk 2004;Miles and Condry 2016).…”

“…Studies show that police lack guidance on how to proceed during these calls, and thus rely heavily on individual discretion (Holt and Retford 2012;Miles and Condry 2016). Even when police take an action such as making an arrest, many parents end up dropping the charges or recanting their statements to prevent further legal consequences for their child (Miles and Condry 2016).…”

“…Even when police take an action such as making an arrest, many parents end up dropping the charges or recanting their statements to prevent further legal consequences for their child (Miles and Condry 2016). Overall, there are limited policy and practice guidelines for officers responding to calls of adolescent-to-parent violence (Cottrell and Monk 2004;Holt 2011;Holt and Retford 2012;Miles and Condry 2016).…”

“…Adolescent-to-parent violence is reported to occur in between 5 and 22% of the population (Cornell and Gelles 1982;Holt 2015;Peek et al 1985;Routt and Anderson 2011); however, it is likely an underreported problem (Holt and Retford 2012). Although the full extent of this form of violence is unknown, it is clear that youth who exhibit violence toward caregivers represent an important population in need of effective prevention and intervention services.…”