Trauma-and-Violence-Informed Care for Victim-Survivors of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis of Service Providers’ Perspectives

Abstract

Formal support is essential for promoting recovery and healing of victim-survivors of domestic, family, and sexual violence (DFSV). Trauma-and-violence-informed care (TVIC) aims to improve outcomes and minimize harm for trauma survivors accessing support. Despite its existence, services are not adequately meeting the needs of victim-survivors of DFSV and continue to cause harm. Guiding frameworks that can be consistently applied across services are thus needed. This qualitative meta-synthesis systematically integrates service providers’ perspectives on what constitutes effective TVIC for victim-survivors of DFSV to determine practices and principles to better support victim-survivor recovery when providing care. Seven databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles and gray literature in June 2023, with an updated search in September 2024. Twenty-nine articles were included in the study, representing 694 service providers across a range of settings. A thematic synthesis approach resulted in eight key themes outlining principles of TVIC for DFSV service provision, including six individual-level themes: (a) safety, (b) survivor-centered care, (c) respectful emotional support, (d) non-judgmental, reciprocal client-practitioner relationship, (e) supporting victim-survivors to thrive, and (f) cultural safety and inclusivity; and two system-level themes: (g) provision of effective and accessible services, and (h) providing holistic services. The findings identified a holistic, trauma-and-violence-informed, survivor-centered, and inclusive approach to supporting victim-survivors, describing principles, values, and specific practices which can be applied by practitioners and services to improve service outcomes and facilitate recovery and healing.