The British Journal of Social Work, Volume 51, Issue 5, July 2021, Pages 1779–1798, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcab105
“COVID-19 rapidly altered patterns of domestic and family violence, increasing the complexity of women’s needs, and presenting new barriers to service use. This article examines service responses in Australia, exploring practitioners’ accounts of adapting service delivery models in the early months of the pandemic. “
“Teaser text:
- During COVID-19, many domestic and family violence services shifted to remote methods of service delivery.
- A survey was conducted to examine Australian practitioners’ experiences of adapting services during the pandemic.
- For many practitioners, technology-mediated service delivery was a new way of working, adopted out of necessity.
- Domestic violence work become more complex and challenging during the pandemic.
- Without face-to-face contact, it was more difficult for practitioners to assess risk.
- However, remote service delivery enabled services to be maintained and improved access for some client groups.
- Research should continue to monitor the impacts of technology-mediated service delivery and engage clients in assessing what works.”
This study was conducted by social work researchers from the University of New South Wales.