Domestic abuse: a case study

This chapter focuses on domestic abuse. The recognition that poverty is a factor in domestic abuse and is linked to men's perceptions of the breadwinner role suggests how vital it is to understand and engage with social constructions of masculinity. Overall, given the extensive evidence that has emerged of the focus by child welfare and protection systems on deprived populations, the levels of domestic abuse that are commonly to be found in families subject to child protection processes are to be expected and add fuel to the concerns about the invisibility of poverty in contemporary child protection policies and practices. Moreover, a range of system interventions can either trap women in abusive relationships or be a driver of their vulnerability to poverty post separation. This reinforces the need to critically interrogate the implications of system interactions including child protection systems.