Supporting victims of domestic violence in Swedish social work: core components and mechanisms explaining successful outcomes

The acknowledgement of domestic violence as a serious social problem in the Swedish public sector, and knowledge about its devastating consequences for victims, has led to the development and implementation of various support measures in the social services. Still, little is known about how social workers deliver support to victims of domestic violence, the types of work they actually perform when they interact with victims, and the premises they connect to their work. To gain a deeper understanding of the underlying principles and functioning of these measures, we conducted a program theory analysis of two social services units specializing in domestic violence. Utilizing a combination of documents from the units, focus groups with staff, interviews and an analysis of authentic interactions between women seeking support and social workers, we elucidate the core components and mechanisms believed to contribute to successful outcomes. The findings highlight the critical role of risk work, safety work and external stabilization in enabling individuals to reconstruct and process experiences of violence. The importance of professional discretion, when the content and scope of support in relation to individual women are to be tailored, is also significant for successful work.