In my thesis, I focused on social work with couples who are separating and facing high conflict or abuse. In the theoretical part, I first defined the terms marriage, cohabitation and different ways of formally ending a relationship. I then focused on the definition of high conflict and abuse and the differences between the two. I outlined the problem of the lack of knowledge and skills of social workers and other professionals working with couples in the process of separation. I described in more detail the abuse in a relationship, the abuse after separation and the suffering experienced by women and children. I referred to legislation relating to family relationships, divorce and the prevention of domestic violence. I described the role of social work centers in the process of divorce or dissolution of a cohabitation and in the area of abuse. I outlined the importance of including the voice of the child in the collaborative relationship and addressed issues related to the application of the concept of parental alienation. To conclude the theoretical section, I have outlined the impact of divorce on children, particularly in cases of conflict or abuse. In the empirical part, I presented the results of seven interviews with social workers working in Slovenian social work centers with couples in the process of separation. The questions I asked were related to the approaches they use in their work. I was also interested in how they recognize high conflict, how they address it and how they include the child's voice in the process. I asked how they talk to a child. Finally, I wanted to know what they, as social workers with experience working with children of separated parents, thought about the impact of divorce on children. From the conversations, I learned that social workers sometimes mention elements of abuse when describing the high level of conflict. It is important to strictly differentiate and address these two issues as they are completely different situations that require different approaches. I started thinking about the fact that in Slovenia and abroad we still do not pay enough attention to abuse and often overlook it, either out of ignorance or because we believe that the situation is not that alarming.
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