Samhällsinstanser i arbetet med barn som bevittnar våld mot mamma

The aim with this study is to investigate how social agencies work with children that are whitnessing physical violence against their mother by a man they have a close relationship with. The study is focusing on what kind of interventions that are directed to those children, in some cases also the whole family, and what effects these have on them. The study is also focusing on the cooperation between different social agencies that are working with the target group and what effects a wellworking cooperation may have. A qualitative method has been used for the study, based on semi-structured interviews with different kind of social workers that work with the target group in question. The selection of social workers consisted on five different interviewees within four different departments.The results of the study shows what interventions are the most common ones and what effects these are having on the children and their families according to previous research and according to the interviewed social workers. It also shows the importance of having a wellworking cooperation between relevant social agencies according to previous research and how the cooperation is working in practical social work according to the interviewed social workers. Eventually the results have been analysed by the three theories: attachment theory, Antonovsky’s KASAM and risk- and protection factors. The study shows the importance of aiming the right interventions to those who are exposed and how important it is with a good cooperation between different social agencies so that the interventions are far-reaching enough to support the exposed in every part of their life and to meet their every need of support. This also so those who are exposed suffer from less symptoms followed by witnessing physical violence and provide good conditions to have a healthy physical, social and psychological development