From Complaint to Care: Understanding the Social Work Journey within Police-Based Women Support Services

Meera Gayathri; bindya Yohannan

From Complaint to Care: Understanding the Social Work Journey within Police-Based Women Support Services

Author(s)	Dr. Meera Gayathri, Dr. bindya Yohannan
Country	India
Abstract	Women approaching police services for domestic violence, harassment, family conflict, sexual violence, stalking, threats and other forms of vulnerability often require support extending beyond legal and law-enforcement responses. Social work intervention can provide psychosocial assessment, counselling, crisis intervention, safety planning, advocacy, referral and follow-up support. However, the experiences of women and the perspectives of police personnel and social workers regarding this integrated intervention remain insufficiently explored. The present qualitative study aims to understand the journey of women from initial police complaint to social work intervention, referral, follow-up and continuing care. An exploratory qualitative design will be adopted. Purposive sampling will be used to recruit women service users, social workers/counsellors and police personnel associated with police-based women's support services. Data will be collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The proposed analysis focuses on the processes through which women enter support systems, experience police and social work responses, negotiate professional and family relationships, access referral services and experience continuity of care. The anticipated themes include entering the system, being heard and recognized, transition from complaint to care, the social worker as a bridge, negotiating professional boundaries, safety beyond the police station, continuity of care and movement from protection towards empowerment. The study seeks to contribute to social work practice by identifying mechanisms for strengthening police–social work collaboration and developing a more integrated, woman-centered response to crisis and violence.
Keywords	Keywords: Police-based social work, women support services, social work intervention, police–social work collaboration, counselling, crisis intervention, qualitative research, thematic analysis.
Field	Sociology > Philosophy / Psychology / Religion
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On	2026-09-30

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From Complaint to Care: Understanding the Social Work Journey within Police-Based Women Support Services

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