Professional Representations of Collaboration in the Response to Intimate Partner Violence

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Public Health
• Criminology

Background:

• Intimate partner violence (IPV) requires multifaceted social and legal responses.
• Effective collaboration among various actors is widely recognized as essential for overcoming IPV.
• Existing research often details factors hindering or facilitating collaboration but lacks a systemic, integrated perspective.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the nature of socio-judicial collaboration in response to intimate partner violence (IPV).
• To provide a detailed understanding of how collaborative practices function within IPV response systems.
• To identify areas for improvement in interagency cooperation for IPV.

Main Methods:

• A case study approach was employed in an administrative region in Quebec, Canada.
• Individual interviews were conducted with 37 key informants involved in IPV response.
• Data analysis involved deductive thematic coding and the use of intra- and inter-role matrices.

Main Results:

• Interagency referrals and information sharing were identified as the most prevalent collaborative practices.
• The studied region was characterized as poorly integrated, despite these common practices.
• Factors influencing collaboration were analyzed in the context of existing literature.

Conclusions:

• Recommendations include enhancing cross-sectoral training for professionals involved in IPV response.
• Developing organizational policies that support collaboration is essential.
• Leveraging the expertise of specialized IPV actors can strengthen response systems.