Collaboration between Municipal Public Health Nurses and Related Agencies to Support Families with a High Risk of Child Abuse

Abstract

Purpose: This qualitative study aimed to describe how municipal public health nurses collaborated with institutions to support families at a high risk of child abuse.

Participants and Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six municipal public health nurses to understand how they developed working relationships with institutions to support families at a high risk of child abuse. Qualitative and descriptive analyses were employed using the data that was obtained.

Results: The nurses were found to have made correct decisions on the fly about whether such collaboration was necessary and, if necessary, to “cooperate actively with possible partners.” By encouraging both mothers and their children with complicated backgrounds and the institutions to reliably link together, the nurses “paved a road to bridge both.” They worked to “make a system for cooperative support.” With the sentiments of mothers in mind, they “cooperatively supported them to prevent child abuse” and made an “evaluation of their cooperative support.” Through their daily activities, they also “set the stage to engage themselves in smooth collaboration.” Moreover, the results suggest that when they had difficulty supporting their clients, it was important that they felt supported both within and outside of their workplaces.

Discussion: The public health nurses interviewed for this study undertook efforts to build trusting relationships with institutions concerned about their daily activities to enhance the effectiveness of their collaborations.