Social workers' of conceptualisations of domestic violence and abuse against people with IDD

Aim:

To explore how qualified social workers in the UK conceptualise domestic violence and abuse against adults with learning disabilities.

Method

Semi-structured interviews and vignettes were used in doctorial research to explore social workers’ conceptualisation of domestic violence and abuse (DVA) against adults with learning disabilities. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. In this presentation, I will focus on the theme relating to social workers’ understanding of the vulnerability of victims.

Results

Findings suggest that participants viewed vulnerability as an acquired, rather than inherent, quality which resulted from the victim’s individual lived experience of trauma and interactions with others. Whilst participants conceptualised that life events made individuals more susceptible to DVA, they were less likely to explore the victim’s experience of systemic sources of oppression and how these contributed to the victim’s experience of abuse. This understanding of vulnerability led workers to formulate interventions which sought to address the individual victim’s awareness of risk and harm from the relationship, focusing on the victim changing their behaviour to minimise harm.

Conclusion

As well as focusing on individual interventions, practitioners need to also acknowledge and address the role of systemic oppression in DVA experienced by adults with learning disabilities.