Search

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.

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 work was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship and was funded by grants from the Macedon Ranges and North Western Melbourne Medicare Local.

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.

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.

När personer som är utsatta för våld i nära relation lämnar förövaren kan skyddade boenden erbjuda en fristad. Dessa boenden har dock olika förutsättningar att möta utsatta vuxnas och barns behov av skydd och stöd. I denna artikel beskriver vi olika utmaningar som skyddade boenden står inför idag och diskuterar de idéburna organisationernas betydelse. Detta görs med utgångspunkt i Nancy Frasers teorier om social rättvisa och socialt skydd. Artikeln visar att den kunskap som finns inom idéburna organisationer är betydelsefull oavsett om skyddade boenden drivs av idéburna organisationer, kommuner eller vinstdrivande aktörer. Dessutom behöver finansieringen säkras för att samtliga skyddade boenden ska ha förutsättningar för att kunna möta de utsattas behov.

The aim of this study was to examine the association between the victim vulnerability factors included in the intimate partner violence (IPV) risk assessment tool used by the Swedish police (Brief Spousal Assault Form for the Evaluation of Risk [B-SAFER]) and rates of IPV revictimization among female victims living in rural towns, countryside, or remote areas. This study also aimed to examine the interaction between rurality and IPV revictimization in relation to victim vulnerability. The sample consisted of 695 cases of male-to-female perpetrated IPV, which had been reported to the Swedish police and subjected to a B-SAFER assessment. Rates of revictimization were examined in police registers. The results demonstrated that several vulnerability factors could discriminate between IPV revictimization across rurality. There was also an interaction effect between rurality and IPV revictimization in relation to the number of victim vulnerability factors present, where revictimization was more common for victims with many vulnerability factors living in more sparsely populated areas.

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., RISKSAM

Syftet med projektet har varit att förmedla forskningsresultat om riskhantering och samverkan avseende våld i nära relation, stalkning och hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck till yrkesverksamma inom polis och socialtjänst, samt att undersöka utmaningar och behov rörande frågor om riskbedömning, riskhantering och samverkan kring våld i nära relationer i gles- och landsbygdskommuner. Projektet knyter an till forskningsprogrammet RISKSAM som syftar till att implementera och utvärdera en hållbar och evidensbaserad arbetsmodell, RISKSAM, för arbetet med riskhantering och samverkan vad gäller våld i nära relation. RISKSAM är en förkortning för RISKhantering och SAMverkan. En huvudsaklig ambition med nyttiggörandeprojektet har varit att medverka till att sprida information om RISKSAM och i dialog med de yrkesverksamma utveckla modellen ännu mer specifikt till de utmaningar som gles- och landsbygd står inför. Under våren 2023 har vi således besökt praktiker inom socialtjänst och polis i gles- och landsbygd. Forskare och doktorander inom RISKSAM-programmet besökte regionerna Dalarna, Värmland, Västra Götaland, Västerbotten, Örebro och Östergötland, där ett eller flera kommunbesök genomfördes i varje region. Varje besök har bestått av presentationer om RISKSAM och preliminära resultat ur detta projekt, samt fokusgruppsintervjuer om gles- och landsbygdens specifika utmaningar och de yrkesverksammas behov och stöd. Våra resultat visade att det finns både utmaningar och möjligheter med arbetet med riskbedömning, riskhantering och samverkan kring ärenden med våld i nära relationer i gles- och landsbygdskommuner. I riskbedömningsarbetet fann vi att det fanns utmaningar i att identifiera våld men också att det kan finnas bristande organisatorisk kompetens att riskbedöma. Enskilda medarbetare har kompetens men omsättningen av personal och svårigheter att rekrytera, försvårar upprätthållandet av kompetens inom organisationen. Arbetet med riskbedömning kan även försvåras på grund av ol, RISKSAM

This chapter examines three criminological perspectives through a gender lens. The first part is dedicated to crime and gender. This chapter presents official data of reported and convicted persons in European countries, discussing crime trends and the different involvement of sexes in certain criminal offences. Further, this chapter points to possible differences in the ethology of crime from a gender perspective at three levels: individual; family, and social. The second section deals with gender and criminal victimization, with special attention dedicated to issues of domestic violence and sexual crimes. The third section of this chapter analyses the penal policy of the courts. Data is presented on sentencing practices in European countries, with an emphasis on certain criminal offences. Besides data on imprisonment, attention is paid to other penal sanctions. This section of the text further explains possible factors related to the different sentencing of women and men. They are divided into two categories: the first is those mainly related to socio-economic characteristics and crime committed; the second is those that reflect courts as gender institutions. Finally, this chapter gives explanations of different treatments of trans offenders in the criminal justice system., LAWGEM