Support for Abused Women COMPARING THREE TYPES OF CRIME VICTIM SERVICES IN SWEDEN

The Research Project •The Crime Victim Compensation and Support Authority is funding the project •PhD Candidate Sara Helmersson •It is headed by Professor Håkan Jönson •If and how is ‘empowerment‘ translated into social work practice in services supporting abused women? •Data collection includes ethnographic fieldwork and a web based survey

The Aim of the Presentation What kind of support is offered to (help-seeking) abused women in Sweden within the third sector and the public sector?

Individual Interventions are Ranked Number One

Eight Tasks were Never or Seldom Ranked Number One 1.Influencing public opinion 2.Developing working methods 3.Self-help groups 4.Counselling groups 5.Internal education 6.Education/information to authorities 7.Cooperation with external actors 8.Help to permanent housing

A Comparative Approach THE THREE HIGHEST RANKED TASKS NO RESPONSE TOTAL WOMEN’S REFUGES Safe housing 42 % (N=48) Hot line services 30 % (N=34) Supportive counselling 19 % (N=22) 2 % (N=2) 93 % CRIME VICTIM SUPPORT Supportive counselling 58 % (N=34) Support in contact with authorities 15 % (N=9) Hot line services 9 % (N=5) 12 % (N=7)94 % PUBLIC SECTOR CRISIS CENTRES Supportive counselling 52 % (N=12) Psycho- therapy 22 % (N=5) Safe housing 17 % (N=4) 4 % (N=1)95 %

THE THREE SECOND HIGHEST RANKED TASKS NO RESPONSE TOTAL WOMEN’S REFUGES Supportive counselling 22 % (N=25) Safe housing 21 % (N=24) Hot line services 21 % (N=24) 2 % (N=2) 66 % CRIME VICTIM SUPPORT Support in contact with authorities 41 % (N=24) Supportive counselling 15 % (N=9) Hot line services 15 % (N=9) 12 % (N=7)83 % PUBLIC SECTOR CRISIS CENTRES Counselling groups 48 % (N=11) Guidance 17 % (N=4) Supportive counselling 13 % (N=3) 4 % (N=1)82 %

Non-Counselling Roles in Public Sector Crisis Centers •The Advocate •The Support Person •The Coordinator •The Paper Work-Consultant •The Friend/The Family Member

Summing Up •Individual interventions as the ”core work”: supportive counselling, safe housing, hot line services and support in contact with authorities •Groups and external work are seen as peripheral •Different niches among services – sometimes overlapping •Observations show that it is more complex

Thank You Sara Helmersson PhD Candidate School of Social Work Lund University

EXTRA BILDER 1.The Core work – list of fourteen alternatives 2.A quote supporting the survey results but not the observations 3.Method and Data Collection 4.The Survey 5.The Swedish Context 6.Background of Project 7.”Number three”

THE CORE WORK – WHAT TASKS GET THE HIGHEST RANKING? List of fourteen alternatives 1.Internal education 2.Safe housing 3.Hot line services by phone or the Internet 4.Supportive counselling 5.Help to permanent housing 6.Influencing public opinion 7.Cooperation with external actors 8.Psycho-therapy 9.Counselling groups 10.Guidance 11.Developing working methods 12.Education for/information to authorities 13.Self-help groups 14.Support in contact with authorities

AN INTERVIEW QUOTE ”alltså dom [kvinnojourerna, min anm.] står ju för ett skyddat boende och ett praktiskt stöd under den tiden va’ vilket kan betyda allt ifrån att… att leka med barnen till att följa med på en rättegång eller sjukhus, hjälpa till att hitta vägar att söka bostäder därifrån […] men det är ju i huvudsak det skyddade boendet de står för… Alltså vi [på kriscentrum, min anm.] har ju en professionell samtalsbehandling och det har man ju inte på jourerna och ska man ju heller inte ha va’…” Anställd, kommunalt kriscentrum

METHOD AND DATA COLLECTION •Web baserad survey •Interviews with employed staff/volunteers and help-seeking abused women •Participatory observations •Collecting texts

THE SURVEY (N=207) •320 services •207 responses •Response rate 65 per cent

THE SWEDISH CONTEXT •Historically support for crime victims is organised by the third sector •Local governments have a greater responsibility for crime victims now than before 2007 •Different conditions for women’s refuges and crime victim support

BACKGROUND OF PROJECT •’Empowerment’ is common in social work arbete •The concept is prelevant in policy documents in the domestic violence area •Content and consequences for crime victims are unclear

NUMBER THREE TREDJE VIKTIGASTE UPPGIFTEN TRE-I-TOPP INGET SVAR TOT KVINNOJOURER Stöd vid rättegångar etc. 19 % (N=22) Stödsamtal 17 % (N=20) Rådgivning 10 % (N=11) 3 % (N=3) 49 % BROTTSOFFER- JOURER Rådgivning 27 % (N=16) Internutbildning 10 % (N=6) Stöd vid rättegångar etc. 9 % (N=24) 15 % (N=9)61 % KOMMUNALA KRISCENTRUM Info/utbildning till polis, soc. etc. 26 % (N=6) Stöd vid rättegångar etc. 17 % (N=4) Jourtelefon 9 % (N=2) 13 % (N=3)65 %

NON-COUNSELLING WORK IN PUBLIC SECTOR CRISIS CENTERS ROLE OF THE EMPLOYEE TASKS The Advocate Making important phone calls or writing certificates and official letters to various authorities on behalf of the women. The Support person Accompaning women and supporting them in legal proceedings or in contact with authorities, employers etc. Acting a third party when the children are meeting the perpetrator (”umgänge”). The Paper work- consultant Translating formal documents or helping women to fill in forms. The Friend/The Family member Often unualified tasks such as helping women to move, inviting them home, taking them to dinner.