‘What if someone had told me that as a kid?’: Professionals' perspectives on their personal experiences of family-related childhood adversity and their supportive practice

The aim of this study is to explore how professionals with personal experiences of family-related childhood adversity describe and make sense of the relationship between their experience and their supportive practice. It builds on interviews with 10 professionals working within two Swedish non-governmental organizations offering support to children experiencing family-related adversity. The findings show that the participants draw upon their own experiences when identifying children's need for individual support, recognition, belonging, knowledge and hope. Together, these five aspects can be said to form an experience-informed narrative about children's support needs. The paper concludes by suggesting that the concept of a ‘professional peer’ may be a useful term for encompassing the dual role of professionals who have personal experiences of family-related childhood adversity and who provide support to children in similar situations.