To Örebro University

Effective risk management strategies for victims of domestic violence require an adequate risk assessment. While risk assessments for domestic violence typically focus on the adult victim, the risk of children who are exposed to such violence is often overlooked. This study aims to explore what risk, vulnerability and protective factors can be identified through forensic interviews with children exposed to domestic violence. A qualitative latent content analysis was conducted on documented forensic interviews with 41 children. The results show that children reported factors that should be taken into consideration when managing the risk of violence for their mother. In addition, the children's responses suggest the need for a separate risk management plan to address their needs and to protect them from re-victimization. Direct communication with children is crucial to identify factors that are unique to them. These results emphasize the significance of including their perspective in risk assessments for domestic violence to influence the risk management that includes both mothers and their children.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of social workers and police officers in terms of risk management and inter- and intra-agency collaboration in cases of intimate partner violence (IPV) in rural and remote areas in Sweden.

Method: Adopting an exploratory qualitative research design, 13 semi-structured focus group interviews with 38 social workers and six police officers from six rural and remote regions were conducted. Data were analyzed using thematic analyses.

Results: In relation to our informants’ work with risk management responses, two themes were identified related to barriers and possibilities. In terms of collaboration, two themes were identified in the data: barriers to inter- and intra-agency collaboration, and facilitators of inter- and intra-agency collaboration. Overall, the results of this study correspond to previous research. However, novel findings related to possibilities with risk management responses and collaboration specific to a rural and remote context.

Conclusions: The results of this study are discussed in terms of policy and practical implications for social workers and police officers in general and in relation to the unique context of rural and remote areas. As such, there is an incongruence between current urban-centric policies of IPV prevention and the specific structural and cultural characteristics of sparsely populated areas.

This chapter focuses on risk assessment and risk management for children exposed to intimate partner violence and stalking in post-separation scenarios. The risk, need, and responsivity theory is used to discuss how professionals can address the risk of revictimization for both adults and children. While it is important to consider the perspectives of the perpetrator and the adult victim when assessing and handling the risk for future violence, it is also essential to take the child's perspective into account. Children's views of both their exposure to violence and their perpetrator's risk factors, like substance abuse and mental health issues, are valuable when identifying risk and vulnerability factors for both adults and children. Vulnerability factors such as normalization, social isolation, and fear can impede a child's ability to seek help and reduce their responsiveness to interventions. Protective factors like a social and professional network, along with positive parenting, can shield children from further violence. Professionals should carefully consider the potential impact of each protective and vulnerability factor when developing risk management for children exposed to intimate partner violence or stalking. This will also help to identify the needs of exposed children. The responsivity of the child for the assumed risk management will likely be impacted by it. The chapter advocates for a balanced approach, integrating risk, vulnerability, and protective factors, to effectively prevent violence and meet the needs of all victims, with a special focus on children.

This paper presents a prospective evaluation of the predictive validity of three risk assessment instruments in a sample of Australian women identified by police as intimate partner abuse (IPA) perpetrators. Using a subsample from Spivak et al. (2020), 410 female IPA perpetrators were screened using the Victoria Police Screening Assessment for Family Violence Risk (VP-SAFvR) and evaluated alongside two samples of 60 and 229 female IPA perpetrators assessed using the Brief Spousal Assault Form for the Evaluation of Risk (B-SAFER) and a modified version of the Lethality Screen respectively. Of the three instruments, the VP-SAFvR possessed indicators of effective discrimination (i.e. sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve) and predictive validity (i.e. positive predictive value, negative predictive value) on general IPA recidivism and its intended outcome of family or intimate partner abuse. The B-SAFER risk judgement similarly predicted its intended outcome of physical IPA recidivism, with notable indicators of discrimination and predictive validity. The results of the Modified Lethality Screen were conversely mixed on measures of discrimination and prediction for its intended outcome of severe IPA. The current findings suggest that these instruments function consistently for women and men who are identified by police as perpetrating family or intimate partner abuse.

This qualitative study explores the opportunities and challenges of collaboration experienced by social workers and police officers when dealing with cases of intimate partner violence (IPV) and stalking. The study aims to examine their collaborative approaches in risk assessment and risk management by identifying the structures , supports, and foundations crucial for effective collaboration. Our data, collected from twelve interviews and one focus group interview with social workers and police officers, reveals that collaboration was facilitated by assigning specific roles to involved parties, proximity, structure and professionalism. These key factors emerged as crucial and contributing to the effectiveness of the collaborative efforts. Practitioners should consider integrating these key elements into their practices to enhance and improve collaboration when addressing cases of IPV and stalking. The study underscores the need for a well-defined framework and support structures to optimise the collaborative response to such complex and sensitive issues.

In this study, we investigated social workers’ use of risk assessments and risk management in cases concerning intimate partner violence. The study examined social workers’ experiences of work performance, organizational conditions, internal and external collaboration and challenges and opportunities at work. We interviewed twelve respondents in Swedish social work offices about what structures, supports and foundations they found essential for work sustainability and resilience. Support from colleagues and managers, experience, openness and trust were critical factors for work satisfaction. The study showed that work experience created trust and security, partly because the social worker became better at translating laws and regulations into practical work. Concerning the severity of the cases, collaboration was essential for building workplace confidence and well-being. A well-functioning internal and external collaboration was described as trust, reducing stress and access to open and straightforward communication with others. Sustainable routines and access to guidelines facilitated the work. An unsupportive work climate included a culture of silence, a lack of trust and generated feelings of stress. Feelings of vulnerability in the professional role arose when the workgroup and/or the management did not take a supportive approach to operational work.

The criminal justice system (CJS), comprising police, prosecutors, and courts, is pivotal in preventing intimate partner violence (IPV). However, challenges persist in effectively protecting victims, with high post-reporting recidivism rates. This systematic review aims to identify CJS interventions targeting IPV recurrence and to assess their effectiveness. Eleven articles meeting inclusion criteria were categorized into three themes: police (five articles), prosecutor (zero articles), and court (six articles). While overall findings lack conclusive evidence on intervention effectiveness, they suggest potential in reducing IPV recidivism among specific perpetrator sub-groups. The review underscores the need to consider contextual factors when evaluating interventions like arrest for IPV prevention. Challenges in identifying evidence-based practices within the CJS persist, necessitating ongoing evaluation research and investment in evidence-based strategies to inform policy and practice effectively.

I detta nummer av Texter om våld presenteras forskning och resultat från forskningsprogrammet RiskSam. Den evidensbaserade modellen RiskSam syftar till att förbättra riskhanteringen vid våld i nära relationer. Bidragen lyfter fram de utmaningar och möjligheter som präglar arbetet med riskbedömning, riskhantering och samverkan. I det inledande kapitlet introduceras RiskSam-programmet och de delstudier som ingår. Som programmets forskningsledare Susanne Strand beskriver, är målet att implementera och utvärdera RiskSam-modellen, för att långsiktigt stärka välfärdsinstitutionernas förmåga att hantera risker och förebygga upprepat partnervåld.

Programmets forskare undersöker bland annat hur riskhantering praktiseras och hur effektiva olika insatser är för att förhindra återfall. I texten Polisens första kontakt i partnervåldsärenden, betonar Johan Stjernqvist vikten av snabba, skräddarsydda insatser kombinerade med en långsiktig skyddsplanering. Jag själv skriver om socialsekreterares upplevelser av att hantera ärenden om våld i nära relationer i Att arbeta med ärenden om våld i nära relation. Här läggs särskilt fokus på arbetsvillkor och resurser utifrån en hållbar arbetssituation. I studien om förutsättningarna för arbetet i olika geografiska kontexter, Hantera risk för våld i nära relation i gles- och landsbygd, framträder både unika utmaningar och möjligheter: medan avstånd försvårar och resurser ofta är knappa, kan mindre samhällen ändå erbjuda närmare relationer och nätverk som underlättar arbetet.

I flera kapitel lyfts de utsattas perspektiv. Åsa Källström undersöker i Våld, riskhantering och livskvalitet i anslutning till pandemin, liksom jag i Mammors erfarenheter av våld efter separation, kvinnors erfarenheter av samhällets stöd efter partnervåld. Deras berättelser understryker behovet av samordnat och individanpassat stöd – ett behov som blev särskilt tydligt under pandemin, då tillgången till hjälp blev annorlunda och fungerade olika bra för olika individer.

Att våldet inte alltid upphör vid en separation är väletablerat inom forskningen. Jacqueline Lindblom beskriver i texten Stalkning av en före detta partner de svårigheter som uppstår vid riskbedömning och hantering av stalkning från före detta partner, och framhåller vikten av individanpassade insatser i samverkan mellan olika aktörer. Susanne Mattsson beskriver i Vad är eftervåld? liksom Hanna Palhamn Szabó i Juridiskt våld – att använda lagen som våldshandling, fenomenet våld efter separation i nära relation och dess allvarliga konsekvenser för kvinnor och barn. Deras texter visar hur våldets fortsättning efter separationen begränsar kvinnors liv och hur samhällets institutioner ibland misslyckas med att erbjuda tillräckligt skydd.

Fokus riktas även mot våldsutövarna. Joakim Petersson beskriver i Behandling av partnervåldsutövare behandlingar som syftar till att minska våldsutövarens beteende, och visar på behovet av evidensbaserade metoder och kunskap om klienters egna upplevelser av behandling. Emma Källvik avslutar antologin med texten Hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck och en analys av hedersrelaterat våld. Hon framhåller hur detta fenomen delar likheter med partnervåld men kräver anpassade strategier på både individ- och samhällsnivå.

Objective: Previous research has reported inconclusive results pertaining to the predictors for victim retraction and participation in police investigations of intimate partner violence (IPV). The aim of this study was therefore to examine characteristics and consequences associated with victim retraction and participation in police investigations of IPV. Additionally, we also examined characteristics and consequences in relation to victim retraction and participation in police risk management strategies.

Method: We analyzed a sample of 668 cases of male-to-female IPV reported to Swedish police, where characteristics were retrieved mainly from risk assessments of IPV re-victimization conducted by the police for all cases. Additionally, follow-up information of prosecutions, convictions, and rates of IPV re-victimization were examined for each case.

Results: The main results show a higher proportion of vulnerability factors present in cases where women retracted than in cases where they participated. In contrast, there were more risk factors present in cases where victims participated, and such participation was more likely to result in a perpetrator's prosecution and conviction. There was no significant association between IPV re-victimization and victim retraction or participation.

Conclusion: Victim participation in the police investigation and the risk management increased the likelihood of conviction, illustrating the importance of criminal justice professionals supporting, encouraging, and motivating women who have experienced IPV to participate in the criminal justice process.