Welfare Workers' Cultural Models of Domestic Violence

ABSTRACT

Despite progress in policies and services for domestic violence, service use remains lower than the need suggests. This study, an analysis from a larger project on social service providers, examines welfare workers' shared beliefs about domestic violence. Using a mixed method design utilizing pile sorts (n = 38; 11 child welfare and 29 financial assistance), a survey (n = 57; 24 child welfare and 33 financial assistance), and in-depth interviews (n = 3; two child welfare and one financial assistance)—workers organized their ideas about factors that contribute to domestic violence, rated the factors along key dimensions of meaning (importance, controllability, characteristics of victims or perpetrators, and cause or effect), and shared experiences of their work with domestic violence cases. Financial assistance and child welfare workers organized their beliefs similarly demonstrating consensus on the importance of the factors, and shared beliefs about the factors that were causes and effects of domestic violence. In interviews, child welfare workers emphasized their focus on systems and collaboration. Despite areas of agreement, child welfare and financial assistance workers did not demonstrate consensus on ideas about domestic violence overall. The findings have implications for practice, specifically for improving responses to domestic violence and increasing the use of domestic violence services.

keywords:

• Cultural consensus
• cultural consensus analysis
• domestic violence beliefs
• domestic violence
• welfare workers

Note

Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to the organization and workers who participated in the research. The author is also grateful to Dr. William Dressler for his guidance, and to Daniel Goldmark, Beth Anthony, Charlie Miles, and David Crampton, all of whom provided helpful feedback on versions of the manuscript.

Notes

1. While some work refers to those who have experienced domestic violence as “survivors” and others refer to them as “victims,” this study used the term “victim”; first, because it was the term the participants used and second, because of the powerlessness and oppression of their positions within the larger policy system.