Addressing physical and psychological sibling violence: Perspectives from youth care professionals in Belgium

Background

Despite its prevalence and potential consequences, sibling violence often stays under the radar in professional health care, social and judicial services. The lack of awareness and training related to sibling violence has led to failing to detect and properly address it.

Objective

The main goals of this study are to investigate how youth care professionals in social and judicial services address physical and psychological sibling violence, what challenges they encounter while trying to address it, and their thoughts on needed changes to practice and policy to reduce sibling violence. The study expands current knowledge of evidence-based practice approaches which are generally limited to social work and school counseling, by including youth care professionals in social and judicial services.

Participants and setting

Youth care professionals in social and judicial services (n = 13) in Flanders (Belgium) were selected based on their experience addressing child abuse and neglect.

Methods

In-depth interviews and focus groups were conducted, transcribed and coded using initial, pattern and selective coding methods.

Results

Consistent with previous literature, results indicate a lack of awareness of sibling violence in Flemish social and judicial youth care services. Professionals consistently expressed the need for greater awareness about sibling violence and tools to respond to it adequately. They prioritized a social service response characterized by a family-oriented approach rather than a judicial response.

Conclusion

Professionals need information on typical sibling dynamics and signs and impacts of sibling violence and evidence-based tools to effectively address it. Given the prevalence and impacts of sibling violence, the development of evidence-based training and family-oriented prevention and intervention efforts are critical to reduce it, but such efforts are limited by professionals' capacity, funding, and time.