“I am not so sure of that we are very good at working actively, and are doing this, when we lack any form of suspiciousness” : An implementation evaluation of region skåne’s care program to prevent intimate partner violence in three care settings speciali

Abstract: The present study constitutes the qualitative part of a project with aim to evaluate the implementation of Region Skåne’s care program to prevent intimate partner violence. Due to the increasing awareness of youth intimate partner violence in Sweden, the study aim was to evaluate the extent to which the care program has been implemented, as well as what the perceptions of the care program were, in three care settings specialized in young patients. A qualitative focus group study with an inductive approach was chosen. Four focus groups with 12 participants recruited from three care settings specialized in young patients within the region of Skåne county were held. Three of the participants were not explicitly governed by regional guidelines due to working in units which constituted a partnership between the region and the municipality. The data was analysed by using thematic analysis. Two main themes appeared in the findings, with the first being organizational leadership. Factors associated was that the care program had not been fully communicated and/or implemented in any regional unit. Further, the extent to which the professionals had obtained extensive training and/or perceived themselves as supported from the management varied. The second main theme, the clinical practice, reflected the clinical experiences of various types of violence, tasks that could appear challenging such as documenting IPV, screening for IPV online and making reports of concern. The main conclusion is that there are gaps between policy and practice in all contexts where the program is to be used. Recommendations are that organizational leaders should ensure the program to be sufficiently communicated to all professionals, and be responsive to requests for local adjustments and/or insecurities in relation to following the program, in order for neither screenings, nor documentation, nor making reports to fall between the cracks.