Path to Safety study

The Path to Safety study examines the views of professionals and those who have experienced domestic violence on the key elements of the working with people experienced domestic violence and getting help. The project also produces knowledge on the preconditions for carrying out data collection in a longitudinal study. 

Objectives

THL is planning a longitudinal study for the adult clients of shelter services. First, we carry out the Path to Safety preliminary study (1st study) and it will be used to plan the implementation of a broader main study (2nd study). 

In the first phase of the Path to Safety study (1st study), the aim is to use interviews with professionals in work related to violence and those who have experienced domestic violence to form an understanding of the factors they consider to be the most important in client work carried out in shelters for victims of domestic violence, and how it would be important to organise services after the victim is no longer a shelter client. The second aim is to find out how data collection can be carried out safely and to promote participation in a longitudinal study (2nd study).

Background

THL has been responsible for organising shelter services since 2015. Provisions on shelter services are laid down in the Act on Shelters for Victims of Domestic Violence, which defines that the assessment of shelter activities is a duty of THL. In 2015, there was a total of 19 shelters, and the number of shelters increased to 29 by 2023.

Shelters for victims of domestic violence are crisis intervention units free of charge to the clients. A person or family subjected to domestic violence, or a threat thereof may go to a shelter on their own initiative or under the guidance of an authority or some other party, also anonymously if necessary. When a person is violent against their current or previous partner, child or their partner's child, parent or other close relation, this is referred to as domestic violence.

Extensive research on shelters has not been previously carried out in Finland. At the international level, some studies have been carried out to monitor the availability of help for shelter clients in the shelters and the clients’ coping after leaving the shelter. 

Many factors affect the provision of help at the shelter and the assistance that clients receive after leaving the shelter. With regard to the implementation of the study, it is important to ensure that it includes the key factors and that the research helps develop the work carried out in the shelters. To ensure successful conduct the study, we should make sure that those with different life situations will be able to participate in the study. As a result, it is important to involve the workers of shelters and the victims of intimate partner violence in the planning of the study when designing a more extensive Path to Safety study.

Research questions

The Path to Safety study seeks answers to questions related to helping those who have experienced domestic violence and views on the implementation of the planned longitudinal study. 

• From the perspective of professionals and those who have experienced domestic violence, what are important factors for helping the victims in shelters, how is help visible in the clients’ lives, and what are other key services for those who have experienced domestic violence?
• Which factors promote the implementation of a longitudinal study for those who have experienced intimate partner violence, motivating them, enabling their participation and ensuring the safety of participants?

Implementation

The Path to Safety study involves interviewing professionals in work related to violence, employees of outpatient services for work related to violence and persons who have experienced domestic violence. Interviews with professionals are conducted as group interviews and, if necessary, individual interviews.

People who have experienced domestic violence are invited to interviews with the help of professionals in work related to violence. The interviews are conducted as individual interviews, and the group interview method may also be used with experts by experience who have experienced intimate partner violence. 

The interviews conducted in the study are carried out using the thematic interview method. The main themes of the interviews concern receiving assistance from the shelters and other services and the implementation of the planned main study. 

Privacy notice

The privacy notice document describes how personal data will be processed in this study. Participation in the study is voluntary. Participants will not face any negative consequences if they do not participate in the survey or if they discontinue their participation in it. Section 16 of the document includes more detailed information on participant’s rights and how the participants may affect the processing of their data.

Privacy notice for scientific research (pdf 96,6 kb)

Funding

THL

Contact information

Johanna Hietamäki 
Senior Researcher
Tel. 029 524 7990
Email: [email protected]
www.thl.fi/johannahietamaki 

Salla Kaikkonen
Senior Researcher
Tel. 029 524 7167 
Email: [email protected]