Efter barnförhöret - Evaluation of an early intervention from the social services in cases of child abuse

Efter barnförhöret is a model developed based on practical experience to support children who have been at a police interview after they have been subjected to child abuse. The idea is that the children should not be sent home by themselves to meet their parents and the feelings that the parents may have due to the initiated police and social investigation. An earlier evaluation, focusing on 11 therapists’ experiences in seven municipalities, show that the model is appreciated and easy to use. However, children’s and parents’ experiences are missing, as well as information about how the social services’ or police’s investigations might be affected.

The aim with the present project is to evaluate Efter barnförhöret by (i) investigate the validity of the model’s program theory, (ii) investigate how the model is used, in other words program fidelity, and (iii) investigate the results of the model for children, parents, and practitioners within the social services, the Swedish police, and the Swedish prosecution authority.

The project will consist of four sub-studies, which together will provide answers regarding the model's results. The material consists of interview with children and their parents, as well as family counselors to receive their experiences of partaking or using the model. In addition, a document study of social services’ investigations will be conducted focusing on if the cases differ in relation to the use of the model. Also, a survey directed to social workers, police, and prosecutors will be used to investigate the model's potential effects on their work. Based on the evaluation, with program theory as its foundation, concrete proposals will be made about how the model could be developed.