Norwegian Duty to Avert Intimate Partner Violence in Domestic Violence Shelter Work
This study examines how shelter staff experience and manage the duty to avert in cases of intimate partner violence (IPV).
Authors of the study: Susanne Tilke Thon Kristiansen, Kjartan Leer-Salvesen, Silje Louise Dahl, and Solveig Karin Bø Vatnar. Photo: private/VUC/MUC.
Based on interviews with ten shelter staff, it shows how this legal duty, in the context of IPV, can be experienced as both necessary and challenging in practice. The findings show that challenges may arise when people exposed to IPV do not want the violence to be reported to the police, yet staff viewed the duty as a core professional responsibility. In addition, the study shows that collaboration with the police is not always straightforward in duty-to-avert cases involving IPV.
The study shows that the legally mandated duty to avert is not only a matter of complying with a legal provision, but also involves professional judgement, risk assessment, and responsibility in encounters with IPV. At the center is the balance between respecting the wishes of the person exposed to IPV and acting to avert severe IPV. The article thus offers insight into a demanding field where decisions are rarely straightforward, and where what does not always feel good may nevertheless feel right.
Read the study here: https://www.scup.com/doi/10.18261/tfv.29.2.3
