1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The current article [seeks to fill the] gap in the literature by providing a critical analysis of social work practices with children and women-as-mothers in domestic violence shelters, drawing upon data from a doctoral thesis. The purpose of the thesis was to analyse the evolution of practices in domestic violence shelters in the province of Quebec (Canada) since their development in the mid-1970s (Côté, 2016). During the interviews, the development of practices with children was identified as a critical component of the evolution of these shelters, but the participants’ perception of children and women-as-mothers raised a number of issues that [is] discussed in the article.» (p. 423)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«A total of 48 […] interviews were conducted between December 2014 and June 2015. The participants were classified into three categories: pioneers, veterans and workers. Pioneers (n=8) were women who, between 1975 and 1985, either opened a domestic violence shelter, contributed to the development of the first coalition of shelters, or developed intervention guidelines for domestic violence shelter workers. Veterans (n=7) were women who, between 1975 and 1985, were involved as employees, volunteers, interns, or activists in a domestic violence shelter but did not ‘fit’ the criteria for the pioneers, as defined above. [...] Shelter workers (n=33) had between 6 and 28 years of experience at the time of the interview and were either doing direct work in a shelter or employed in an umbrella organization. […]» (p. 427)

Instruments :
Guide d’entretien semi-directif

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

«One of the main findings [...] is that the overwhelming majority of shelter workers who adopt a feminist perspective on domestic violence apply this framework directly to their work with the women in their practices. However, while the feminist perspective provides the lens through which they understand domestic violence, they sometimes draw on other theoretical frameworks to explain some peripheral issues women may be facing, such as substance abuse and mental health problems. The same can be true with regard to the children and women-as-mothers in shelters. This finding is aligned with a theoretical reflection by Lapierre (2010), who argues that the feminist perspective has been marginalized in the development of social work practices related to children living with domestic violence, particularly in the child protection arena. The results of this study point out that, while the difficulties faced by women and children stem from male violence and domination against women and children within the family, the reality of children is not always conceptualized from a feminist perspective, even in domestic violence shelters with clear feminist guidelines. The added notions of risk and responsibility […] as they pertain to children can create some challenges for feminist shelter workers.» (p. 434)