A Childhood at Refuges. Children with multiple relocations at refuges for abused women

Domestic violence interrupts the home environment and relations of many families, causing thousands of mothers and children yearly to flee home and seek protection in refuges for abused women.1 Some children may experience several relocations at the same or different refuges and may spend large parts of their childhood in refuges. Little research, if any, has been done on children who experience multiple relocations at refuges. This dissertation contributes to filling a gap in the national and international research literature, as there is no authoritative work on children with repetitive stays at refuges, and gives a voice to this group of children who have been marginalized in research. The dissertation points out some of the main challenges children and adolescents with multiple refuge relocations face as a result of their moves in and out of refuges. It also employs children’s voices to explore their perceptions of their school experiences in Norway while living or relocating at refuges. The first part of this study is based on a scope literature review to map the range and gaps in the literature on this group of children. The review shows major discrepancies across the Nordic countries (Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, and Sweden) regarding which data are collected (if any), how the data are presented for this group of children, and the help and services provided in general for children at refuges. It also identifies three major challenges these children face: their prolonged exposure to domestic violence, disruption of close relationships, and repeated disruptions in school and preschool attendance. According to the available literature on the impact of domestic violence on children, these challenges suggest reasons for concern regarding the possible high risk for these children of developing social and psychosocial difficulties, limited access to resources that can help develop their resilience to violence, and school failure and dropout. The second part is based on a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with 20 children and adolescents (aged 7–16) who had at least one previous stay at a refuge. They were recruited from five Norwegian refuges located in different cities. The interviews were analysed using the coding system of Charmaz’s constructivist approach to grounded theory as a method. The data analysis produced two concepts: recognition and control/thought control. These concepts were used as guidance for the choices of theoretical framework: the concepts of mutual recognition (Schibbye 2009) and self-efficacy and thought control (Bandura 1997). The fieldwork shows the complexity of the living conditions of these children. Their “normal” everyday life is fragmented and divided between home and refuges. These repetitive stays can last for days, weeks, or months at a time which means that there could be children who spend large parts or even the majority of their childhood at refuges. Thus, for these children, domestic violence is not an isolated incident but part of their everyday life. At school, children describe receiving little if any teacher support. They describe five different types of recognitions of their situation (formal, forced, practical, third-party, and coincidental recognition). Except in cases of formal recognition, children express ambiguity and uncertainty regarding their teacher’s involvement with and knowledge of their situation. The majority of children struggled with concentration difficulties triggered by thoughts about secrecy, safety, insecurity about the future, and flashbacks of violence. However, children were mostly left on their own to deal with these difficulties while at school. Only a few managed to control these difficulties through strategies such as imaginative safety, recreational learning, healing talks, physical activity, divertive play, and creative explanations. The findings of this dissertation suggest reason to be concerned about children with multiple refuge relocations at refuges for abused women. Their life experiences show a breach of the rights of the child as stated in several articles in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The findings call for policy makers and the agencies involved in supporting these children to rethink their polices and routines and revaluate their cooperation procedures. A better registration system may help in identifying these children. However, this may require adaptations in refuge systematic registration and case transfer routines, a reconsideration data retention regulations, and rethinking options for a common registration base for Norwegian refuges. Schools, and especially teachers, play an important role in shaping children’s beliefs, not only about their social and academic abilities at school, but also in their abilities to persevere under difficult life circumstances. The lack of teacher support revealed in this dissertation calls for further research to understand the needs and difficulties teachers face, in order to tailor interventions that can support them in fulfilling their role, duties, and obligations towards these children. Further research in different fields is needed to expand the body of literature on this group of children

Understanding Teachers' Uncertainty in Encounters with Pupils with Experiences of Domestic Violence

Political, legal, and educational documents present expectations for teachers who encounter pupils with experiences of domestic violence. Teachers say they lack competence and confidence and experience uncertainty about their role in this area. This study sheds light on teachers’ experiences of uncertainty in their encounters with these pupils. Data was collected in group conversations with ten teachers and coded thematically. Hoekstra & Korthagen and Lauvås & Handal concepts of trusted colleague/peer mentoring together with Bandura’s self-efficacy theory were used as a framework. Three challenges generating teachers’ experiences of uncertainty: marginalized opportunities, “crumbled” support channels and being out of the information trail. When concerned about a pupil, teachers rarely sought information online, tending instead to seek support from a trusted colleague or a supervisor. They mentioned the need to talk to somebody who knew the pupil and the need for external personal guidance from professionals of an independent state/municipal service.publishedVersio

Children Fleeing Domestic Violence to Emergency Accommodations: Education Rights and Experiences

Domestic violence forces many families to fee to emergency accommodations. This article focuses on children’s experiences of schooling and life at confdential addresses, and to what extent their legal right to education in the face of domestic violence is safeguarded in practice. Data were collected from interviews with 20 children aged 6–16 with multiple relocations at Norwegian refuges for abused women. Interviews were coded using the constructive approach to grounded theory. Data were analyzed using Antonovsky’s theory and interpreted within the context of Norwegian and international law, examining the rights of children to education versus the legal rights of abusers. The fndings indicate that children’s rights to education and a life without violence may be sacrifced in favor of due process for abusers. The article suggests concrete protective measures to help safeguard these rights, and calls on policymakers and support agencies worldwide to rethink their policies and practice.publishedVersio

A Childhood at Refuges. Children with multiple relocations at refuges for abused women

Domestic violence interrupts the home environment and relations of many families, causing thousands of mothers and children yearly to flee home and seek protection in refuges for abused women.1 Some children may experience several relocations at the same or different refuges and may spend large parts of their childhood in refuges. Little research, if any, has been done on children who experience multiple relocations at refuges. This dissertation contributes to filling a gap in the national and international research literature, as there is no authoritative work on children with repetitive stays at refuges, and gives a voice to this group of children who have been marginalized in research. The dissertation points out some of the main challenges children and adolescents with multiple refuge relocations face as a result of their moves in and out of refuges. It also employs children’s voices to explore their perceptions of their school experiences in Norway while living or relocating at refuges. The first part of this study is based on a scope literature review to map the range and gaps in the literature on this group of children. The review shows major discrepancies across the Nordic countries (Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, and Sweden) regarding which data are collected (if any), how the data are presented for this group of children, and the help and services provided in general for children at refuges. It also identifies three major challenges these children face: their prolonged exposure to domestic violence, disruption of close relationships, and repeated disruptions in school and preschool attendance. According to the available literature on the impact of domestic violence on children, these challenges suggest reasons for concern regarding the possible high risk for these children of developing social and psychosocial difficulties, limited access to resources that can help develop their resilience to violence, and school failure and dropout. The second part is based on a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with 20 children and adolescents (aged 7–16) who had at least one previous stay at a refuge. They were recruited from five Norwegian refuges located in different cities. The interviews were analysed using the coding system of Charmaz’s constructivist approach to grounded theory as a method. The data analysis produced two concepts: recognition and control/thought control. These concepts were used as guidance for the choices of theoretical framework: the concepts of mutual recognition (Schibbye 2009) and self-efficacy and thought control (Bandura 1997). The fieldwork shows the complexity of the living conditions of these children. Their “normal” everyday life is fragmented and divided between home and refuges. These repetitive stays can last for days, weeks, or months at a time which means that there could be children who spend large parts or even the majority of their childhood at refuges. Thus, for these children, domestic violence is not an isolated incident but part of their everyday life. At school, children describe receiving little if any teacher support. They describe five different types of recognitions of their situation (formal, forced, practical, third-party, and coincidental recognition). Except in cases of formal recognition, children express ambiguity and uncertainty regarding their teacher’s involvement with and knowledge of their situation. The majority of children struggled with concentration difficulties triggered by thoughts about secrecy, safety, insecurity about the future, and flashbacks of violence. However, children were mostly left on their own to deal with these difficulties while at school. Only a few managed to control these difficulties through strategies such as imaginative safety, recreational learning, healing talks, physical activity, divertive play, and creative explanations. The findings of this dissertation suggest reason to be concerned about children with multiple refuge relocations at refuges for abused women. Their life experiences show a breach of the rights of the child as stated in several articles in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The findings call for policy makers and the agencies involved in supporting these children to rethink their polices and routines and revaluate their cooperation procedures. A better registration system may help in identifying these children. However, this may require adaptations in refuge systematic registration and case transfer routines, a reconsideration data retention regulations, and rethinking options for a common registration base for Norwegian refuges. Schools, and especially teachers, play an important role in shaping children’s beliefs, not only about their social and academic abilities at school, but also in their abilities to persevere under difficult life circumstances. The lack of teacher support revealed in this dissertation calls for further research to understand the needs and difficulties teachers face, in order to tailor interventions that can support them in fulfilling their role, duties, and obligations towards these children. Further research in different fields is needed to expand the body of literature on this group of children

Children Fleeing Domestic Violence to Emergency Accommodations: Education Rights and Experiences

Domestic violence forces many families to fee to emergency accommodations. This article focuses on children’s experiences of schooling and life at confdential addresses, and to what extent their legal right to education in the face of domestic violence is safeguarded in practice. Data were collected from interviews with 20 children aged 6–16 with multiple relocations at Norwegian refuges for abused women. Interviews were coded using the constructive approach to grounded theory. Data were analyzed using Antonovsky’s theory and interpreted within the context of Norwegian and international law, examining the rights of children to education versus the legal rights of abusers. The fndings indicate that children’s rights to education and a life without violence may be sacrifced in favor of due process for abusers. The article suggests concrete protective measures to help safeguard these rights, and calls on policymakers and support agencies worldwide to rethink their policies and practice

Children Fleeing Domestic Violence to Emergency Accommodations: Education Rights and Experiences

Domestic violence forces many families to fee to emergency accommodations. This article focuses on children’s experiences of schooling and life at confdential addresses, and to what extent their legal right to education in the face of domestic violence is safeguarded in practice. Data were collected from interviews with 20 children aged 6–16 with multiple relocations at Norwegian refuges for abused women. Interviews were coded using the constructive approach to grounded theory. Data were analyzed using Antonovsky’s theory and interpreted within the context of Norwegian and international law, examining the rights of children to education versus the legal rights of abusers. The fndings indicate that children’s rights to education and a life without violence may be sacrifced in favor of due process for abusers. The article suggests concrete protective measures to help safeguard these rights, and calls on policymakers and support agencies worldwide to rethink their policies and practice

Krisesenter – kommunenes arbeid og oppfølging i reetableringsfasen

Denne rapporten er utarbeidet på oppdrag fra Barne-, ungdoms- og familiedirektoratet (Bufdir) og Helsedirektoratet, og har som mål å skaffe til veie kunnskap som kan legges til grunn for sektormyndighetenes og kommunenes videreutvikling av krisesentertilbudet. Formålet med studien som presenteres i denne rapporten har vært å styrke kunnskapen om hvordan kommunene jobber med implementering av krisesenterloven og hvordan oppfølgings- og reetableringsfasen kan forberedes for brukerne, både i de lokale tjenestene og ved krisesentrene. Rapporten er basert på individuelle intervju og fokusgruppeintervju, med brukere, både voksne og barn, ansatte ved krisesentre, representanter for kommunal forvaltning og ledelse, samt representanter for helsesektor, politi og andre relevante aktører. I tillegg har vi gjennomgått tidligere utredninger, faglige veiledere og andre saksdokumenter, samt benyttet oss av Sentios krisesenterstatistikk, som utgis på Bufdir sin hjemmeside.Krisesenter – kommunenes arbeid og oppfølging i reetableringsfasenpublishedVersio