Emotional violence against children as documented in Finnish child welfare records

Emotional violence is believed to be the most common form of violence against children, both internationally and in Finland. It often has multiple negative, long-lasting effects on the child. Nonetheless, professionals working with children do not always recognise emotional violence in their work. This paper examines how emotional violence perpetrated by parents against their children emerges in Finnish child welfare records and how this violence is reflected in care order decisions. The research data consisted of the child welfare records and care orders for 30 children, in total 742 pages. The data was analysed using abductive content analysis moving between the theory and data. In total, there were three rounds of analysis, each containing several data-reading rounds. The study findings demonstrated the presence, diversity, and cumulative nature of emotional violence. Emotional violence was recognisable in approximately half the cases in the data set. It included both active abuse and neglect, and individual children often experienced it in multiple forms. Most children in the data set displayed behaviour or symptoms that can be linked with the effects of emotional violence. As time went by, the violence gradually dissolved in the child welfare records. Based on our study results, we conclude that child welfare professionals should pay more attention to the risk factors of emotional abuse, to children's participation, and to a child's behaviour and/or symptoms that may indicate emotional violence and detrimental living circumstances. • Emotional violence against children comes to the attention of child welfare services most often through child welfare notifications. • The emotional violence described in the notifications is clear, well-articulated and often cumulative. • Gradually the violence dissolves in the child welfare records, and care orders are often justified by the child's own behaviour or symptoms. • Professionals, parents and children need more information on emotional violence and its effects, and tools for professionals are also necessary to detect emotional violence and provide effective support for families.