What Can We Learn from the Street-Level Bureaucracy Approach Regarding Gender-Based Violence Support Services During the COVID-19 Lockdown Crisis?

The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic brought a new reality and created several complications and challenges for professionals working in gender-based violence (GBV) support networks. A gap has been found in the literature in terms of evidence on how best to operate GBV intervention and support services in times of crisis. Given this reality, this article analyses the situation caused by the pandemic, raising and highlighting relevant implications for the impact on the quality of the services provided, and emphasizing the concept of street-level bureaucracy in the face of the new reality. The article highlights how professionals are currently coping, making decisions, and adapting their ways of working. The literature review offers relevant conclusions on how to improve preparedness and prevention plans in support services for victims of violence in future crises.