In my diploma thesis I researched multidisciplinary cooperation in child protection cases. I became interested in this topic in more detail during my internship at the Brežice Centre for Social Work, where I became more acquainted with the field of prevention of domestic violence and measures for the protection of children. I have noticed that dealing with domestic violence requires the cooperation of different professionals from different institutions and fields. I am interested in how different institutions work together in cases of protection of children from violence, what is their role in these processes, how they include the treatment of children who are victims of violence and how do they assess cooperation with other institutions. In particular, I focused on multidisciplinary teams and was interested in the views of professionals from various institutions involved in child protection proceedings.
In the theoretical part I define the concept of family and violence. I then present the forms of violence, describe the attitude towards violence in society, and then focus on the consequences of exposure to violence. This is followed by a chapter on legislation in the field of violence against children in Slovenia, followed by the role of multidisciplinary teams and the Centre for Social Work and the competence of other institutions that are the key to solving the problem of domestic violence. Finally, I pay attention to the position of the child in the process of protection.
The empirical part contains the results of a research I conducted among representatives of institutions participating in multidisciplinary teams. They are representatives of the Centre for Social Work, the regional service for the prevention of domestic violence, the state prosecutor's office, the police and an educational institution. In the interviews, I was interested in who, in their experience, most often reports violence, how they involve children in treatment and how they provide them with a safe and confidential space, what child protection measures they take, what they do in cases of repeated violence, what is their opinion on the current system of dealing with victims of violence and what is their experience with multidisciplinary teams.
I found that the representatives of the competent institutions are aware of their role in child protection procedures and that they are generally satisfied with the current victim treatment system, but still want some improvements that could make the system even more effective. They see multidisciplinary teams as the main advantage, as they are all aware that prompt and coordinated action in cases of violence against children is crucial. They want to continue to strengthen cooperation with other institutions and improve it, especially in healthcare, as their participation in multidisciplinary teams is considered the lowest. They also point out that the involvement of the child in protection procedures is very important, but it is necessary to be careful that the procedures do not mean additional traumatization.
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