Juggling conflicting demands when using a new intervention to combat child physical abuse in the Swedish child welfare services

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the complexities of using a new intervention when parents are suspected of child physical abuse. Children leaving a child forensic interview due to suspected child physical abuse are often handed over to their parents, who sometimes are the suspected perpetrators. The Efter barnförhöret (EB) [After the child forensic interview] intervention was developed to aid children in this stressful situation by providing professional support from child welfare services to the child and parents. The article is based on interviews with 11 respondents working with EB. Narratives reveal how respondents use their discretionary space to navigate different institutional logics. In the themes Focusing on the child, Getting parents motivated, The challenges with organizational boundaries and Demand trumps resources, respondents argue that EB, despite organizational challenges, is considered an important intervention that meets the needs of children and families after the disclosure of child physical abuse.