Individual interviews with children (17 informants, 10 boys & 7 girls, 8-17 years old)

1. Professionalism or ageism? Social worker approaches to children exposed to intimate partner violence Maria Eriksson maria.eriksson@soc.uu.se Social Work and Social Development Stockholm 8-12 July 2012

2. ”Children who have experienced their father’s violence against their mother encounter the family law” • Individual interviews with children (17 informants, 10 boys & 7 girls, 8-17 years old) • A two-fold perspective on children: • The principle of care • The principle of participation • Participation • information, consultation, decision-making, initiative • Validation of experiences of violence • Approaches • Perspectives on the child and ways of acting; as they come across through children’s interview statements

3. Approaches: the process Attempts to increase the level of participation Participating child A child oriented approach An adult oriented approach Disqualified adult Protected child Protects the child from participation

4. Well, could they have done it in another way that would have been better? • Willow: No • Just that you were there was not good? • Willow: No, it was boring at their place. But at [project for children exposed to domestic violence] it is fun. • What is good there then? • Willow. We paint and have a snack and… • Was it anything you wanted to say to them [social workers in the family law case]? • Willow: No [Interviewer: No]. They were rather mean. They were only offering water.

5. Adult positions Attempts to increase the level of participation Child oriented participant A child oriented approach An adult oriented approach Paternalism without care Care person Protects the child from participation

6. Approaches: the violence Talk about violence (validation) Unprotected victim Victim: Validation Not protected fr. violence Protected from violence Invisible victim Protected victim Do not talk about violence (protection)

7. Bill: … the first time after I had met him I started to feel sick, started to have stomach ache, I went to the loo, I vomited, but they came again because they did not care about how I felt [Interviewer: No] No, if I felt good, if I felt sick, I should go there anyway. Even if I felt sick I should go there anyway. I could have stomach ache, I could feel sick, I could […] it could be anything, but they said you should go there anyway.

8. Adult positions Talk about violence (validation) Indifferent adult Helping adult Not protected fr. violence Protected from violence Denying adult Protecting adult Do not talk about violence (protection)

9. Constructions of ”professionalism” • Participation: “Professionalism” as… • (age) equality and child-orientation • care orientation • non-caring paternalism • Violence: “Professionalism” as… • help • protection • denial • indifference