The Removal of Children in Domestic Violence: Widening Service Provider Perspectives

Abstract

A range of service providers support mothers and children who are experiencing domestic violence (DV). However, research tends to focus on the role of service providers in child protection services and DV services. This potentially excludes valuable insights from a wider range of nongovernment service providers on the systemic issues that mothers experiencing DV and child separation may experience. This research explored the perspectives of 16 different nongovernment service providers about working with women who have had their children removed while experiencing DV. The study used an intersectional feminist approach that highlighted intersecting gendered and racialized power relations in service responses functioning to reinforce multiple dimensions of disadvantage. The study found that mother blame was a pervasive issue both within and outside of child protection services. Service providers described the challenges of navigating a system that revictimizes women, with particular impacts for Aboriginal and culturally diverse mothers. The findings reinforced the importance of preventing mother blame, holding perpetrators of DV more accountable, and improving collaboration across services and for more flexible responses to women living with violence.

Post‐separation abuse: A concept analysis

“… Australia Social Work/Sociology Mixed methods Cohen et al (2002) Interactional effects of marital status and physical abuse on adolescent psychopathology. US – New York Medicine (Psychiatry) Quantitative Cramp and Zufferey (2021) The Removal of Children in Domestic Violence: Widening Service Provider Perspectives. Australia Social Work/Sociology Qualitative Crosse and Millar (2017) Irish Women's Ongoing Experiences of Domestic Abuse in Cases of Separation and Divorce.…”

Service Model for Women's and Children's Violence Victims of Collaborative Governance and Delivery Service

“…This involvement takes the shape of partnerships and collaboration among governmental entities, pertinent ministries and institutions, regional administrations, community groups, and private 4 organizations. Such collaborative efforts adhere to the delineation of responsibilities between central and regional authorities (Emezue, 2020;Notko et al, 2022) There are three views on dissecting public administration: old administration, new public management, and new public service management, the view regarding new public service management positions citizens as the main object of democratic government (Cramp & Zufferey, 2021;McGuire et al, 2022). Citizens or society are not only seen as individuals but as part of the government in the public service system; in the new public service (NPS), public involvement with the government is a process of democratization of public service reform (Fogarty et al, 2022;Gallo & Svensson, 2021).…”

Transformative Social Responses to Domestic, Family, and Sexualized Violence: A Qualitative Exploration of Insight Exchange, a Victim-Survivor-Centered Initiative Informed by Response-Based Practice

“…Such misrepresentations can foster harmful social responses which “impede effective interventions through education, victim advocacy, reportage, law enforcement, criminal justice, child protection, and counselling with perpetrators and victims” ( Coates & Wade, 2007 , p. 521). Misrepresentations of domestic, family, and sexualized violence and harmful social responses can also compound and intersect with other forms of injustices including but not limited to institutional and systemic racism, sexism, ageism, ableism, classism, homophobia, and transphobia ( Cramp & Zufferey, 2021 ).…”