Researching Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence

Claire McLoone-Richards is a feminist scholar and social scientist within the Department for Violence Prevention, Trauma and Criminology at the University of Worcester, UK. Her teaching and research relate to the study and prevention of violence, and its impact on victims and survivors. Claire is particularly interested in the concept of professional advocacy for children and women as victims of abuse and neglect within the family, the community, and other institutional contexts. As a barrister (non-practising) she remains a committed advocate for the rights of children and young people. Claire has researched and written extensively about aspects of the voice of the child in the context of child protection and violence against women within professional practice and integrated working. She has considerable experience in multi-agency partnerships working in the fields of mental health, substance use, and domestic and sexual violence. Claire has been an active member of the former Local Safeguarding Children Board, the Co-ordinator of the Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, and is the Past Chair of the Association for Child Protection Professionals (AoCPP) formerly known as BASPCAN.

This book offers a critical examination of the ethical and moral challenges in conducting research about domestic abuse or sexual violence from the perspectives of student-practitioners and novice researchers.

Introduction: Positioning the student perspective on doing research.