Research in 5 Minutes
Title and Authors
Vikander, M. & Strand, S. (2025). Enhancing domestic violence risk assessments with children's perspectives: Exploring risk, vulnerability and protective factors through forensic interviews. Child & Family Social Work, 30, 120-129.
The study was conducted by Martina Vikander and Susanne Strand at Örebro University, Sweden.
The Research
This study explored what children can tell professionals about risk, vulnerability and protective factors when they have been exposed to domestic violence.
The researchers analysed 41 forensic interviews with children aged 4-17 years from 27 domestic violence investigations in Sweden. All the children had been exposed to violence against their mother, and some had also experienced violence directly themselves. The researchers used qualitative analysis to identify information within the children's accounts that could contribute to assessing and managing risk.
Importantly, the study considered what can be learned by communicating directly with children, rather than relying solely upon information provided by adults.
What Did the Researchers Find?
- Children provided important information about risks that might otherwise be missed. Many had not previously disclosed their experiences to anyone, including their parents.
- The interviews identified numerous risk and vulnerability factors, including exposure to violence, continued exposure to the perpetrator, fear, social isolation, non-disclosure, normalisation of violence and children taking on a caretaker role.
- Children's experiences were not necessarily the same as those of the adult victim. The findings indicated that children may therefore require their own assessment of risk and their own risk-management plan.
- Children also identified important protective factors, including supportive social networks, professional support, positive parenting and a willingness to seek change.
- No clear pattern was identified according to gender, but some vulnerability factors differed according to age, highlighting the importance of considering children's developmental needs when gathering information from them.
- Young children had greater difficulty seeking help and answering questions. None of the children under 7 described their father positively or wanted contact with him. Older children described more complex or ambivalent feelings towards their father. Older children appeared better able to seek help. However, greater age brought a different vulnerability as older children showed more evidence of normalizing or minimizing violence, and some avoided answering questions about it.
Practice Takeaways
- Speak directly to children. Information obtained only from adults may not provide a complete picture of a child's experiences, needs or level of risk.
- Do not treat the child's needs as an extension of the adult victim's needs. Children should be considered individuals who may have their own risk, vulnerability and protective factors.
- Adapt communication to the individual child. The authors emphasise a flexible and sensitive approach, with questions tailored to the child's age and maturity.
- Consider more than the incident being investigated. Children's accounts may reveal wider information relevant to safety and risk management, including previous violence, fear, relationships, isolation, support networks and continuing contact with the alleged perpetrator.
- Share information and work collaboratively. The researchers highlight cooperation between police and child welfare services as important for developing appropriate risk-management strategies and potentially reducing unnecessary repeated interviewing.
- Consider developmental stage when interpreting disclosure and responses. Young children may require support with language, attention and expressing their experiences, while incomplete answers should not be interpreted as indicating limited exposure or risk.
- Do not assume older children are less vulnerable because they communicate more effectively. Better language skills can co-exist with normalization or minimization of violence, due to complex or conflicting feelings towards abusive parents.
Read the Original Paper
Link to paper on Wiley Online Library