Domestic violence (DV) shelters are round-the-clock crisis service units that provide free-of-charge support for victims/survivors. A person or family experiencing domestic violence or the threat of it may enter a shelter on their own initiative, or be referred by an authority or another party, and may do so anonymously if necessary.
No extensive research on DV shelters has been conducted in Finland to date. Internationally, there are some studies that have examined the support received by DV shelter victims/survivors during their stay and their ability to cope after leaving the DV shelter.
Many factors influence the support work carried out in DV shelters and the assistance available after the shelter stay. In the first phase of the study, the program theory of DV shelters will be examined. That is, the key factors necessary to achieve positive outcomes for different victim/survivor groups. The starting point of the research is to support the work carried out in DV shelters. The participation of shelters and people who have experienced domestic violence in the planning of the study plays a central role in the design of the broader Path to Safety research.
Goals
The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) is planning a longitudinal study for adult users of shelter services. First, a preliminary Path to safety study (Study 1) will be carried out, which will be used to design the implementation of the broader main study (Study 2).
The objective of the first phase of the study is to build an understanding through interviews with DV professionals and people who have experienced domestic violence of which factors they consider most essential in the client work carried out in shelters, and how services should be organised after a shelter stay.
The aim of the main study is to investigate the impacts of shelter services.
Implementation
In the first phase, we will interview DV professionals, workers from non-residential DV services, and individuals who have experienced domestic violence. The interviews will be conducted as group interviews, and as individual interviews when necessary.
The main themes of the interviews concern access to support from shelters and other services, as well as the implementation of the planned main study.
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