The perspectives of professionals on providing services to women withdisabilities that experience intimate-partner violence

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of the service providers on the wayexisting intimate-partner violence (IPV) services are organised to address the needs of people with disabilitiesexposedto IPV. Methods: The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 17 IPV service providers working in: health care,social work, police, women’s shelters and at the Center against violence. A semi-structured, open-ended interviewwere conducted between March 2020 and December 2020 and transcribed verbatim. A constructivist groundedtheory approach that is based on the principles of symbolic interactionism was used with the purpose ofexplaining how IPV services are organised for people with disabilities in Sweden. Results: In the resulting theoretical framework service providers framed their experience and perceptions ofproviding IPV services to people with disabilities to require coordination and multisectoral collaboration betweendifferent sectors and actors was viewed as ideal for providing adequate services to women with disabilities,however this was not always the actual approach adoptedby all providers. The providers further illustrated thatservice provision for women with disabilities was organised around four overarching themes; pathways; screeningand identification; protection and care; empowerment and independence. Conclusion: This study indicates that providing adequate IPV services to people with disabilities requiremultisectoral collaboration. This approach was considered instrumental for women with disabilities that often facedisability-related challenges that created difficulties in navigating several services on their own.