Children's needs in shelters: mother's perceptions.

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Social Work
• Domestic Violence Research

Background:

• Children witnessing domestic violence face unique challenges.
• Shelter services are expanding but understanding children's needs from mothers' perspectives is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify mothers' perceptions of their children's needs while residing in domestic violence shelters.
• To inform program development for improved child and family support in shelter settings.

Main Methods:

• Focus-group methodology was employed.
• 27 mothers who used shelter services within two years participated.
• Data analysis identified dominant and supporting thematic categories of needs.

Main Results:

• Six dominant categories of children's needs were identified: counseling, daily living (family integrity, normality), recreation, and parenting.
• Mothers also highlighted needs related to shelter support and the shelter environment's impact on children.
• 12 supporting thematic categories further detailed these needs.

Conclusions:

• Mothers' insights are crucial for understanding children's needs in shelters.
• Findings have direct implications for enhancing shelter program development and support services.
• Addressing these identified needs can improve outcomes for children exposed to domestic violence.