Perspectives from Canadian Domestic Violence Police Specialists on the Challenges in Providing Safety Planning and Risk Management for Victims and Their Children

Domestic violence (DV) impacts the safety and well-being of adult victims and their children who are exposed to the violence. Police play a critical role in providing intervention strategies to protect the welfare of victims of DV. Police training, policy and procedures on intervention strategies are often adult-centric leaving little direct police interaction with children. Objective The objective of the current study is to identify the challenges police officers perceive in providing effective safety planning and risk management strategies for domestic violence victims and their children. Participants, Setting & Methods Interviews with domestic violence police specialists ( n = 12) in Ontario, Canada were used to gather information on police officers’ perspective on the challenges they face in executing safety planning and risk management strategies. A dual deductive/inductive approach to a thematic analysis at the sematic level was used (Braun and Clarke, Qualitative Research in Psychology 3:77–101, 2006) to explore themes. Results The major themes that emerged from the interviews were: (a) challenges with the broader economic/social and judicial system; (b) challenges created by organizational factors; and (c) individual challenges affiliated with police officers’ perception of barriers they encountered. These challenges all impact the police response to providing intervention strategies to DV victims and their child(ren). Conclusions This study highlights the need for police organizations to formalize training, policies, and directives specific to safety planning and risk management for adult victims of DV and their children.