When addressing violence, both social work professionals and the general public will first think of providing help and support to the victim. A lot of attention is also paid to their family and loved ones, who have suffered the consequences of witnessing violence. But there is much less emphasis on supporting and helping the perpetrators of violence. It is probably a matter of beliefs that such behaviour cannot be unlearned. We social workers have a responsibility and a mission to reduce violence in the society, while at the same time making support available to anyone facing hardship. The clarity of zero tolerance for violence does not preclude the understanding of distress and provision of support in recognizing violence, gaining insight and learning, as well as changing violent behaviour into an alternative one. In my research, I study how social workers deal with perpetrators of violence. I discuss the methods and concepts of work, which I place within wider social contexts, namely in the cooperation among institutions and in the legal system. I focus on the concepts of social work that professionals rely on when dealing with perpetrators of violence; on defining the roles and tasks of social workers dealing with perpetrators of violence; on the important individuals cooperating with the perpetrators of the violence; on the specifics of working with perpetrators; and on the differences between working with the perpetrators and the victims of violence.
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