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ABSTRACTDespite growing concerns with the situation of children exposed to domestic violence, and although women have been seen as central in the welfare of their children, limited attention has been paid to the issue of mothering in this context. This paper examines how concerns regarding abused women's mothering have been articulated in the academic literature on children's exposure to domestic violence, and argues that the dominant discourse in this area has been characterized by a deficit model of mothering. Implications of the pervasiveness of a deficit model for child welfare policies and practices are highlighted. Finally, this paper identifies key elements that should be considered in the development of a feminist perspective on mothering in the context of domestic violence, which could lead to less blaming and more supportive practices.

Malgré une reconnaissance croissante de la réalité des enfants qui vivent dans un contexte de violence conjugale, une attention limitée a été portée à leur parole et à leur participation dans les interventions et dans les procédures visant à assurer leur sécurité et leur bien-être. Les auteurs insistent sur l'importance de reconnaître les enfants comme des acteurs sociaux compétents qui dévoilent les situations de violence conjugale. Ils abordent les enjeux en lien avec la participation des enfants dans les interventions et dans les processus décisionnels.

This article addresses women's experiences of abortion in the context of domestic violence, more specifically the decision-making process and the influence of the perpetrators in their decision. The data were collected through semistructured individual interviews with four Canadian women, aged between 23 and 36 years at the time of the interviews. Overall, the findings suggest that the factors influencing women's decision can be grouped into the following four categories: domestic violence, the women's individual situation, the couple's situation, and external constraints. Implications for policies and practice are discussed.

Summary Even though an extensive body of literature on children has swept the field of domestic violence in the last 30 years, little is known about how domestic violence shelter workers understand children's situations and how they intervene with them. This article seeks to address this gap in the literature, and presents the results of a study conducted with 48 advocates in the province of Québec (Canada). Findings The data suggest that most of the participants adopt a child-centred perspective and consider the children in their own right during their stay. The accounts of the participants' practices also reveal that they perceive children as being vulnerable and at-risk. With a moderate emphasis on vulnerability and risk, the participants tend to support the children alongside their mothers, while associating potential risks with the behaviour of the perpetrator of domestic violence. However, with a strong focus on vulnerability and risk, participants tend to cast aside the perpetrators' behaviour and monitor the women-as-mothers during their stay while associating potential risk with their [in]actions under the circumstances. This can lead to mother-blaming, surveillance and more authoritarian interactions. Applications The understanding of children living with domestic violence needs to remain rooted in a feminist analysis of violence against women in order to avoid some of the issues highlighted in the article. Furthermore, studies that seek to shed light on best social work practices when working with children in alliance with their mothers from a feminist perspective are crucially needed.

Despite the fact that the inclusion of men constitutes a polarising issue that has created tensions and divisions throughout the history of domestic violence shelters, very little has been written on this issue. This paper specifically addresses this gap in the literature. Drawing upon the results of a doctoral thesis conducted with 48 advocates, the authors argue that the participants' perspectives on the inclusion of men as workers or administrators in domestic violence shelters can be analysed from an axiological viewpoint. More specifically, the rationale underlying the participant's position to support or to oppose men's inclusion in shelters can be linked to core values underpinning shelters' practices. This leads to three observations: 1) The inclusion of men clashes with a set of core values that guide the practices of participants who do consider the presence of men problematic; 2) Men are considered a positive addition in the shelters of participants who promote male inclusion, based on a different interpretation of similar values; 3) Men as 'positive role model', a crosscutting argument among those who promote their inclusion, is not related to any core values underlying shelters' practices and raises two issues, which will be discussed in the paper.

While mediation is commonly used in custody negotiation, there is no consensus regarding its applicability in domestic violence cases. The aim of this qualitative study in Italy was to explore the role of family mediation in the management of child custody in cases involving domestic violence. Semistructured interviews were conducted with lawyers ( N = 5), social workers ( N = 15), and abused women who had separated from their children's fathers ( N = 13). Legal documents were also analyzed. The results showed that violence against women and children had often been concealed during mediation, as the professionals involved had failed to detect domestic violence or had labeled it as conflicts. Moreover, the "parental couple" had been dissociated from the "marital couple," and the responsibility for the abuse had been attributed to both parents. As a result, women and children had been blamed and had experienced secondary victimization, while the perpetrators' patterns of power and control had continued. The results also revealed that those professionals had not known about and had not applied the Istanbul Convention, which provides guidelines to ensure women's and children's safety. Recommendations highlight the need to account for the complexity of domestic violence cases, to hold perpetrators responsible for the abuse, and to support the victims.

This article presents findings from a study that investigated the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence shelters' policies and practices. This study was conducted in partnership with feminist organisations in two regions in the Quebec, Canada. Qualitative data were collected from nine domestic violence shelters, using a web-based questionnaire. Thematic content analysis was conducted using NVivo. The research findings reveal that the COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for shelters, as they have had to ensure women's and children's safety while preventing the spread of the virus. In this context, they have had to adapt their services and practices, and it has sometimes been difficult to maintain their feminist approach. Nonetheless, shelters have been creative and have developed multiple strategies to overcome these challenges and to ensure women's and children's access to services. The research findings contribute to our understanding of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlight the essential role that these organisations have played to ensure women's and children's safety at a time when they have been particularly vulnerable.