Abstract
ABSTRACT Encountering domestic violence victims, perpetrators and witnesses in the multiprofessional fields of health and social care and policing includes various challenges. Each professional group perceives domestic violence from its own perspective, linked to its position in the field, core tasks, institutional practices and organizational structures. In this study, we examine interprofessional collaboration among Finnish social and health care professionals and police officers, focusing on the practices and conceptions concerning domestic violence interventions. The data consists of 16 focus group interviews, involving a total of 67 interviewees from social and health care professions and the police. The results indicate that successful interprofessional collaboration requires comprehensive knowledge and education on domestic violence as a phenomenon, on the tasks and the duties of different professionals, as well as tolerance and flexibility in their joint efforts. However, the emphasis on professional relationships often shifts the focus from the institutional and structural challenges of interprofessional collaboration to individual interactions. Organizational barriers and differences in goals may impede good intentions from being materialized into concrete outcomes. These findings challenge all organizations and professionals working on domestic violence intervention to reconsider their training, practices and organizational arrangements.
Highlights
As a global social and health problem, domestic violence (DV) takes multiple forms of physical, sexual, financial and emotional abuse and control
We focus on the professional collaboration among social and health care professionals and police officers, as well as the differences and the similarities in the work on violence interventions
The interviewees especially discussed the division of work among different professions and the concerns dealing with the timing of violence interventions and processes in interprofessional collaboration
Summary
As a global social and health problem, domestic violence (DV) takes multiple forms of physical, sexual, financial and emotional abuse and control. It can take place in all types of family and other close relationships (Fagerlund et al, 2020). DV has been an important area for improving policing practice based on evidence and intelligence (Lum & Koper, 2017; Ratcliffe, 2016; Sherman, 1998; Sherman et al, 2017; Weisburd & Eck, 2004). Despite multiple efforts and encouraging positive improvements, persistent structural and cultural factors still impede DV prevention and intervention. Poor train ing and insufficient organizational support, unawareness of pro fessionals’ own responsibilities, constantly changing or unclear practices, and limited time and other resources are still pointed out as critical points in the research literature (Ballucci et al, 2017; Gover et al, 2011; Hallenberg & Cockcroft, 2017; Minsky-Kelly et al, 2005; Sanz-Barbero et al, 2018)
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