Working with Child Victims During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Child Maltreatment Investigators’ Experiences

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dc.contributor.authorGiesbrecht, Crystal J.
dc.contributor.authorBerens, Katie A.
dc.contributor.authorBaker, Matthew
dc.contributor.authorWilliams, Shanna
dc.contributor.authorEvans, Angela D.
dc.contributor.authorPrice, Heather L.
dc.date.accessioned2024-01-23T21:23:35Z
dc.date.available2024-01-23T21:23:35Z
dc.date.issued2023-03-24
dc.descriptionThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
dc.description.abstractThe present study adds to the growing body of knowledge on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by examining the experiences of Canadian child maltreatment investigators. Three focus groups were conducted with child maltreatment investigators (n = 16) from across Canada to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on child maltreatment investigators and the children and families they work with. Findings from this qualitative study relate to the personal and professional impact of COVID-19 on child maltreatment investigators and the impact of COVID-19 on investigators’ work practices. Subthemes relating to the impact of COVID-19 on child maltreatment investigators include fatigue, stress, and burnout; self-care and isolation; working from home with increasing workloads; child maltreatment investigators as essential workers; and workplace support. Participants’ work practices were impacted by rates of reporting throughout the pandemic, reduced in-person contact with clients, remote services and communication, and COVID-related safety protocols and challenges. Recommendations stemming from these focus groups include the recognition of child maltreatment investigators as essential workers, access to adequate counseling services for child maltreatment investigators, workplace flexibility for child maltreatment investigators, and ensuring that child protection agencies are adequately resourced to maintain manageable workloads.
dc.description.sponsorshipThis project was funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Partnership Engage Grant.
dc.identifier.citationGiesbrecht, C. J., Berens, K. A. ., Baker, M. ., Williams, S., Evans, A. D., Price, H. L., & Bruer, K. C. (2023). Working with Child Victims During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Child Maltreatment Investigators’ Experiences. Journal of Forensic Social Work, 7(1), 91–110. https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.1936-9298.2023.7.1.91-110
dc.identifier.doi10.15763/issn.1936-9298.2023.7.1.91-110
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10294/16208
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherThe National Organization of Forensic Social Work
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.titleWorking with Child Victims During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Child Maltreatment Investigators’ Experiences
dc.typeArticle
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