Suchergebnisse

South Asian women's experiences of family abuse are not fully understood by state policy, particularly in relation to women's 'choices' in response to abuse. Leaving an abusive relationship tends to be deemed the most, if not only, appropriate response. By drawing on the experiences of 11 Pakistani Muslim women, this paper argues that these simplistic assumptions overlook the diverse strategies women employ in response to abuse. These strategies range from compliance to overt forms of resistance, and they are complex and, at times, can be counterproductive and self-destructive. However, they challenge notions of passivity, and bring to light agentive behaviour best understood in the context of subordination and oppression that created the conditions of its enactment. What is important is that this paper should not create complacency in policy makers by reframing women as agents perfectly capable of altering the structures and constraints within which they are embedded. This paper proposes that government policy and service provider practice be shaped by an alternative perspective on women's agency, one that recognises 'exit' as laden with difficulties and consequences for abused women, and one that does not insist upon physical acts of resistance to oppression as markers of agentive behaviour.

Mainstream conceptualisations of domestic abuse that focus on an intimate relationship within a nuclear household do not reflect the experiences of abuse of many women, and this is particularly evident when exploring South Asian women's experiences of family abuse. Drawing on the experiences of 11 Pakistani Muslim women interviewed for my doctoral research, I elucidate the role of the mother-in-law in instigating and perpetrating abuse against daughters-in-law. The sociocultural norms in extended family households, such as a preference for sons and maintaining a joint virilocal household, can cause tensions and hostility between mothers- and daughters-inlaw. These tendencies have potential for violence that is best understood as everyday practices of power and control. I argue that policy and practice, and research, must incorporate a deeper understanding of the family as a potential source of abuse, and particularly the role of female affinal kin, if women are to be protected from such abuse.

In the context of the UK government's immigration policies, this article argues that the secondary nature of gender equality compared to the UK government's multiculturalism and assimilation agendas has directly impacted on South Asian women's experiences of family abuse. By drawing on the experiences of 11 Pakistani Muslim women, this article explores the manner in which immigration rules can equip perpetrators of abuse with a powerful tool of oppression, where women can be faced with threats of deportation, or be left economically destitute when leaving an abusive relationship. This article also elucidates the overlooked experiences of UK-domiciled women of South Asian heritage with husbands on a spousal visa who are also being adversely affected by these policies. By acknowledging the hidden nature of abuse, and the economic dependency that characterises women's experiences of abuse, it is argued that the UK government must critically evaluate its immigration policies.

This case study seeks to introduce readers to framework analysis as a means of organizing and synthesizing mixed-methods data. By offering a practical description of framework analysis in action, we hope to offer guidance on the application of the technique, alongside evidencing its utility for researchers managing large and unwieldy data sets. The research discussed in this case involved six mixed-methods case studies of social work decision making. Case studies were located in England and Scotland and focused on the interplay between families' socio-economic circumstances and social workers' decisions to intervene where there were child protection concerns. These case studies were part of a broader four nations U.K. comparison of the relationship between area-level deprivation and child welfare intervention rates (https://www.coventry.ac.uk/cwip). Framework analysis was adapted by the authors to manage the complex mixed-methods data these case studies produced. Through a critical discussion of the strengths and weaknesses encountered using framework analysis, focusing on issues of coding transparency, team working, data integration, organization, and fragmentation, we elucidate the methodological benefits and drawbacks that researchers might bear in mind when considering the use of framework analysis in social research.

AbstractThis article draws from our mixed methods study of forced marriage (FM) in Scotland focusing on policy and practice responses to FM in Scotland using the concepts of candidacy and structural competency. Through an analysis of FM policy in six case-study areas, interviews with Child or Adult Protection Leads and twenty-one interviews with a range of welfare professionals, we discuss the conceptual, emotional and practical challenges of responding to FM. Despite a standard Scottish Government policy and statutory framework, the varied policy and professional responses to FM across local authorities demonstrate a need for practitioners to be fully cognisant of the ways in which structural inequalities play out in individual lives. The four key themes explored in this article are as follows: (i) patchy ownership of FM policy at a local level; (ii) 'race anxiety'; (iii) event versus process-based understandings of FM and (iv) the challenges of protecting adults experiencing FM who have capacity. These themes are highly relevant to social work practice and offer a significant and original analysis of the ways in which structural, social and cultural factors shape practitioner understanding, response and support of victims of FM.

This article contributes to debates about fathers in social work by examining a group work intervention for fathers in Scotland. We present findings from observations of a 'dad's group' and interviews with seven fathers and staff members. Participating in the dad's group was found to be an expanded perception and expression of masculinity and fatherhood. The group provided a platform for the men to define and challenge understandings of fatherhood in which they developed a sense of expertise and self-belief as individuals and as fathers. We provide examples of the way that the men manoeuvre against societal barriers, in the context of disadvantage, unemployment and persistent mental health difficulties and prevailing gendered stereotypes and allow the fluid expression of manhood through engaging with non-masculine activities. In consideration of policy and practice implications, we argue that parenting support such as group work for fathers is crucial to improve parenting skills and wellbeing and positive outcomes for children.

AbstractThe relationship between children's material circumstances and child abuse and neglect raises a series of questions for policy, practice, and practitioners. Children and families in poverty are significantly more likely to be the subject of state intervention. This article, based on a unique mixed‐methods study of social work interventions and the influence of poverty, highlights a narrative from practitioners that argues that, as many poor families do not harm their children, it is stigmatizing to discuss a link between poverty and child abuse and neglect. The data reveal that poverty has become invisible in practice, in part justified by avoiding stigma but also because of a lack of up‐to‐date research knowledge and investment by some social workers in an "underclass" discourse. We argue, in light of the evidence that poverty is a contributory factor in the risk of harm, that it is vital that social work engages with the evidence and in critical reflection about intervening in the context of poverty. We identify the need for fresh approaches to the harms children and families face in order to support practices that engage confidently with the consequences of poverty and deprivation.