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There are calls for evidence-based methods for helping children to deal with experiences of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in many countries. Therefore, it has been commonplace to implement such methods from outside of their home country. The aim of this study is to examine Swedish social workers’ experiences of testing the American Kids’ Club method for child and mother victims of IPV. After having tested leading Kids’ Club groups, seventeen social workers at four different locations were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. The results indicate that the social workers generally accepted the method. This was related both to some general features of the method and to their perceiving it as somewhat flexible. According to the social workers, the method needs some cultural adaptation to better suit the Swedish social services setting, otherwise it cannot be fully accepted. Finally, they thought that successful implementation depended on an organizational structure that enabled enough children to be referred to the programme as well as either high personal commitment or an organization that prioritized the method. Based on these results, we conclude that importing an American evidence-based group method to help children exposed to IPV to Sweden demands attention to issues of cultural adaption., I många länder har röster höjts för att hjälpa barn att hantera erfarenheter av våld i nära relation med evidensbaserade metoder. Därför har det blivit vanligt att sådana metoder sprids utanför det land de utvecklades i. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka svenska socialarbetares erfarenheter av att testa den amerikanska Kids’ Club-metoden för barn och mammor som utsatts för våld i nära relation. Efter att ha lett Kids’ Club-grupper intervjuades sjutton socialarbetare på fyra olika platser med hjälp av en halvstrukturerad intervjuguide. Resultaten indikerar att socialarbetarna i allmänhet accepterade metoden. Detta var relaterat både till några allmänna egenskaper hos metoden och till att de uppfattade den som något flexibel. Enligt socialarbetarna behöver metoden lite kulturell anpassning för att bättre passa svensk socialtjänst innan den kan bli fullt accepterad. Slutligen trodde de att framgångsrik implementering är beroende av en organisatorisk struktur som gör det möjligt att tillräckligt många barn att hänvisas till programmet såväl som högt personligt engagemang eller att organisationen prioriterar metoden. Baserat på dessa resultat drar vi slutsatsen att importera en amerikansk evidensbaserad gruppmetod för att hjälpa barn utsatt för våld i närarelation till Sverige kräver uppmärksamhet på frågor om kulturell anpassning.

iRiSk - insatser & risk-skyddsbedömninghar för våldsutsatta barn

Witnessing violence against a primary caregiver as a child entails a heightened risk of the child developing problems such as post-traumatic stress, depression, behavioural problems, or difficulties with social relationships. Knowledge about the effectiveness of methods developed to support children who have witnessed violence against their mothers is needed. This presentation reports the results from a national evaluation with the aim to study changes in the health and wellbeing of children after participating in support interventions. Eight group-based or individual support interventions directed at children who had witnessed violence against their mother from her partner were compared to: child and adolescent psychiatry, women’s shelters, and the social services, including the individual and family services, and family law. This report is based on mothers’ ratings of 295 children between 3 and 13 years of age, and self-ratings from 64 of these children, aged 9 to 13 years. The study is based on measurements at three times; before or in connection with the start of the intervention (pre-test), when the child had finished the intervention 4 to 6 months later (post-test), and one year after the child started the intervention (one-year follow-up). The mothers, and any 9 to 13-year-old children who agreed to participate, were interviewed and filled out questionnaires about psychological health and wellbeing. Measures included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC), and measures of emotion regulation and general psychological well-being. The agencies offering support aimed directly at children tended to have better effect than agencies not providing support aimed at children. Generally, children with a high degree of psychological illness at pre-test improved more than children with fewer difficulties. However, the effect sizes were small, and at the one-year follow-up the mothers still rated their children’s psyc