Policing Incidents of Domestic Abuse Involving Children: Children’s and Police Officers’ Experiences
type: CreativeWork
description: Aim: This research represents a ‘first look’ at ‘emotional intelligence’ (EI) (Goleman, 1996); and how EI may mediate police-child interactions at incidents of domestic abuse (DA). Background: It is now widely accepted that very few children and young people (CYP) living with DA remain unaffected, the effects of which may be carried into adulthood (Richardson-Foster et al., 2012; Radford, 2011; Kitzmann et al., 2003; Wolfe et al. 2003; Holt et al., 2008; Levendosky et al., 2002). The common conceptualisation of children as passive ‘witnesses’ of DA and the failure to recognise them as direct ‘victims’ in their own right, separate from adult victims can act as a major barrier for professionals responding to children within this context (Richardson-Foster et al., 2012). Children are almost always represented as outside the violence between adults, a representation that is often reproduced in academic and professional discourses e.g. ‘victims and their children’ (HMICFRS, 2017, p. 36). The first professional many child victims of DA often come into contact with are members of the police. This represents a ‘key moment’ to enhance the welfare and safety of many children (Richardson-Foster et al., 2012). Methods: Semi-structured interviews with police officers and children were carried out, as well as two case study interviews using a ‘Think Aloud’ protocol. A major consideration for this research was the development of a research philosophy that explicitly privileges the voice of the child and a children’s rights-based approach (Lundy, 7007; UNCRC, 1989). Sample: 20 semi-structured interviews with police officers and 15 semi-structured interviews with children were carried out. Five children aged 4-7 and ten children aged 8-15 participated in individual art-based interviews using ‘draw and talk’ technique. Two police officers and two children (aged 12 and 14 years old) took part in the case study interviews. Analysis: Thematic Analysis explored police officers and childr…
abstract: Aim: This research represents a ‘first look’ at ‘emotional intelligence’ (EI) (Goleman, 1996); and how EI may mediate police-child interactions at incidents of domestic abuse (DA). Background: It is now widely accepted that very few children and young people (CYP) living with DA remain unaffected, the effects of which may be carried into adulthood (Richardson-Foster et al., 2012; Radford, 2011; Kitzmann et al., 2003; Wolfe et al. 2003; Holt et al., 2008; Levendosky et al., 2002). The common conceptualisation of children as passive ‘witnesses’ of DA and the failure to recognise them as direct ‘victims’ in their own right, separate from adult victims can act as a major barrier for professionals responding to children within this context (Richardson-Foster et al., 2012). Children are almost always represented as outside the violence between adults, a representation that is often reproduced in academic and professional discourses e.g. ‘victims and their children’ (HMICFRS, 2017, p. 36). The first professional many child victims of DA often come into contact with are members of the police. This represents a ‘key moment’ to enhance the welfare and safety of many children (Richardson-Foster et al., 2012). Methods: Semi-structured interviews with police officers and children were carried out, as well as two case study interviews using a ‘Think Aloud’ protocol. A major consideration for this research was the development of a research philosophy that explicitly privileges the voice of the child and a children’s rights-based approach (Lundy, 7007; UNCRC, 1989). Sample: 20 semi-structured interviews with police officers and 15 semi-structured interviews with children were carried out. Five children aged 4-7 and ten children aged 8-15 participated in individual art-based interviews using ‘draw and talk’ technique. Two police officers and two children (aged 12 and 14 years old) took part in the case study interviews. Analysis: Thematic Analysis explored police officers and childr…
author: Millar, Annemarie
language: eng
date published: 2019
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:55:05Z
provider: Queen's University Belfast
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Queen's University Belfast