Social workers' attitudes towards female victims of domestic violence: A study in one English local authority

Abstract

This paper aims to explore childcare social workers' attitudes towards female victims of domestic violence in England. The study discusses the concept of “mothering” and the processes through which mothers are potentially denigrated rather than empowered. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with social workers in a single child protection agency to investigate their perceptions of domestic violence, its gendered nature, and the implications for their practice. Participants' responses were coded using thematic analysis. The results demonstrated social workers' cognisance of the challenges domestic violence poses for abused mothers in terms of the ability to safely parent their children. Although the study is not without its limitations, it nevertheless indicates the need for a more holistic approach to safeguarding children within domestic violence settings. Moreover, it underscores the necessity for improving awareness about the prevalence and importance of domestic violence as a child safeguarding concern within social work training. Indeed, improved training would help to develop social workers' knowledge and understanding of service provisions and partner agencies, thus potentially improving practice in this critically important area.

Developing a Theoretical Framework to Discuss Mothers Experiencing Domestic Violence and Being Subject to Interventions: A Cross-National Perspective

“…All studies acknowledged some good practice but showed that this was not reflective of most mothers' experiences. Social work aims to be a caring profession, but most mothers reported being blamed and made responsible for abuse perpetrated against them, being required to leave a violent partner, experiencing forced child removal and being treated callously by social workers (Neale 2018;Witt and Diaz 2018;Keeling and Van Wormer 2012;Lapierre 2008Lapierre , 2010Douglas and Walsh 2010;Ramsay 2017;and Johnson and Sullivan 2008). Humphreys and Absler's (2011) paper reviewed child welfare documents from the UK, the USA and Canada from 1900 to 2011, and the 'Failure to Protect' Working Group (2000) reviewed documentation across numerous jurisdictions.…”

“…Mothers carried the emotional burden of abuse and continually felt blamed by professionals (Neale 2018). Witt and Diaz (2018) explored childcare social workers' attitudes towards female victims of domestic violence in England. Their study discussed the concept of mothering and the processes through which mothers were potentially denigrated rather than empowered.…”

“…Their study discussed the concept of mothering and the processes through which mothers were potentially denigrated rather than empowered. They identified 10 main themes, including the recognition of domestic violence as a prominent issue within child welfare with a lack of training about how to assess parenting capacity, empower mothers or work effectively with multiple agencies, combined with poor attitudes towards mothers, a lack of trust between mothers and social workers and a need to raise social workers' awareness (Witt and Diaz 2018). They found that social workers' attitudes towards mothers experiencing domestic violence were often clouded by frustration.…”

“…They found that social workers' attitudes towards mothers experiencing domestic violence were often clouded by frustration. Social workers reported that mothers were adults who had a choice, whereas they argued that children did not (Witt and Diaz 2018). Witt and Diaz (2018) concluded that social workers did not minimise the difficulties that women with violent partners faced; instead, they found weaknesses with mothers, had difficulty balancing protecting the child and empowering the mother, and used the 'leave ultimatum' against the mother to force her to either leave her violent partner or lose her children (Witt and Diaz 2018).…”

“…Social workers reported that mothers were adults who had a choice, whereas they argued that children did not (Witt and Diaz 2018). Witt and Diaz (2018) concluded that social workers did not minimise the difficulties that women with violent partners faced; instead, they found weaknesses with mothers, had difficulty balancing protecting the child and empowering the mother, and used the 'leave ultimatum' against the mother to force her to either leave her violent partner or lose her children (Witt and Diaz 2018). Keeling and Van Wormer's (2012) study found that mothers reported that social workers made them feel defensive, and they were unwilling to disclose any information and were fearful of the intervention.…”