Att förebygga våld mot barn?

En studie av en kommunal lågtröskelinsats till vårdnadshavare

Abstract

Domestic violence constitutes a major social problem with severe consequences. In addition to physical harm, such violence can give rise to significant psychological, social, and economic repercussions. Awareness of the prevalence and manifestations of violence has increased, and violence has become a common basis for child protection reporting to social services. The Swedish Government’s 2016 na­tional strategy emphasized a shift toward focusing on changing the behaviour of perpetrators to prevent ongoing violence, while underscoring that such interventions must not compromise the safety of those subjected to violence. This study examines a preventive low-threshold intervention directed at guardians who have become the subject of a child welfare investigation due to suspicion of domestic violence. The aim is to increa­se knowledge and critically assess violence prevention conducted by social services by analysing how professionals describe and understand the intentions of the intervention, its practical implementation, and its capacity to prevent violence against children. The study is based on qualitative interviews with the staff delivering the intervention at a unit specialised in domestic violence. The interview transcripts have been analysed thematically. The findings indicate that staff members emphasise the intervention as educational rather than thera­peutic, although numerous examples of situations resembling therapeutic engagement emerge, promp­ting discussion about where boundaries between pedagogy and treatment should be drawn. The inter­vention is offered to individuals regardless of whether they acknowledge the presence of domestic vio­lence, and participants are described as identifying more primarily with the role of victim rather than perpetrator. The findings further show that psychological violence is foregrounded, while other forms of violence - particularly more severe physical violence - tend to receive less attention. The results form a basis for discussing how the intervention’s boundaries are negotiated in practice, and the importance of maintaining a focus on victims of violence and their safety when designing violence prevention in­terventions.