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'They know what you are going through': A service response to young people who have experienced the impact of domestic abuse

Coburn, Annette; Gormally, Sinead

Authors

Annette Coburn

Sinead Gormally



Abstract

Riverside Women's Aid offers a specialised youth service for young people who have experienced or been affected by domestic abuse in one town in Scotland. This article discusses findings from a research evaluation that examined the advantages of participating in this service. The experiences of young people and youth workers involved showed a commitment to youth work values and methods that contributed to support and helped reduce feelings of isolation. The findings suggested that one-to-one support and group work sessions brought benefits in establishing empathy and generating positive experiences. This helped the young people to better understand domestic abuse and to feel safe and confident about working through their feelings and making new friends. Analysis also suggested that young people valued the services provided by qualified and experienced Women's Aid youth workers, which they perceived as different from other youth work services. The arguments for this kind of specialist service were compelling, yet analysis highlighted a need for caution in order to avoid creating dependency. There were also calls for improved communication and understanding among partner agencies involved in work with young people.

Citation

Coburn, A., & Gormally, S. (2014). 'They know what you are going through': A service response to young people who have experienced the impact of domestic abuse. Journal of Youth Studies, 17(5), 642-663 . https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2013.844779

Acceptance Date Sep 11, 2013
Online Publication Date Oct 10, 2013
Publication Date May 28, 2014
Deposit Date Nov 13, 2014
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Journal of youth studies
Print ISSN 1367-6261
Electronic ISSN 1469-9680
Publisher Routledge
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 17
Issue 5
Pages 642-663
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2013.844779
Keywords Sociology and Political Science; General Social Sciences; Life-span and Life-course Studies
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/471234
Publisher URL http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13676261.2013.844779
Additional Information Authors' accepted manuscript of article published in: Journal of youth studies, 2013, v.17, issue 5

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