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The present study seeks to explore young Turkish people's exposure to domestic violence during childhood. In doing so it examines their perspectives, the impact of domestic violence on their behaviour and psychological wellbeing, their coping strategies at the time of violence and in its immediate aftermath and it also considers their ideas about possible intervention by support agencies and protection measures. This is a qualitative study, which draws on feminist theory, which centralises gender within the power and control framework, to understand the complex nature of domestic violence. This thesis applies the concept of intersectionality to explore the impacts of intersecting social categories on young people's experiences. In addition, social learning theory, which sees children as passive victims, and sociology of childhood perspectives, which see children as active agencies, were adopted to explore how young people develop perspectives, responses and coping mechanism. The findings from in-depth interviews revealed that young people perceived the externalizing and internalizing impacts of exposure to domestic violence on their well-being and behaviours including depression, anxiety, low self-confidence, powerlessness, worthlessness and aggression. Findings outlined that domestic violence is considered a private issue and is most likely perpetrated due to gender inequalities and male domination in a Turkish context. Domestic violence is internalised by young people as a way to discipline a wife. Findings showed that complex interaction of factors shapes coping strategies; hiding, saving siblings, calling outside help, leaving home, involvement, marrying in early ages and pretending like a male. The young people also stressed the need to develop parentfocused and child and young people focused strategies to support people of victims of domestic violence. Finally. They highlighted the importance of schools to improve awareness and develop initial support for young survivors of domestic violence and reformulating gender roles to eradicate the issue.

Familial child maltreatment continues to be an area of concern in child protection proceedings which often involves the psychological assessment of parents. Research has demonstrated that a significant number of parents assessed in child protection proceedings report experiences of victimisation in their own childhoods. While the consequences of childhood maltreatment are well known, few studies have focused on the intergenerational patterns of child maltreatment amongst mothers involved in child protection proceedings. This thesis attempts to explore the transmission of maternal child abuse and neglect through systematic review of literature in the field, a study comparing mothers who abuse with mothers who neglect, and a critique of a psychometric measure of personality in parents subject to child protection proceedings. Understanding interpersonal differences in intergenerational neglectful and abusive mothers involved in childcare proceedings may lead to the development of effective interventions which may disrupt the generational transmission of child maltreatment.

This thesis explores implications of support and advocacy with substance-misusing women during and after pregnancy in promoting parental involvement and children’s welfare within the regulatory child care framework. It is uniquely situated in relation to social construction, juridification of family lifeworlds, relations of power, and theorisation of an enabling process informed by a rights discourse that facilitates communicative action. Chapter 1 introduces the rationale for this research and contextualises the work of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s (NSPCC) Liverpool Families and Substance Support Team (FaSST) service for substance-misusing parents. It utilises observation evidence, outlining FaSST’s relationship to wider professional and agency networks. An expanded overview of chapter organisation makes the distinctiveness of this exploratory research clear; as it relates theory and practice within the previously little researched area of advocacy with substance misusing parents to promote the best interests of children’s welfare. Chapter 2 develops issues of social construction, identity, risk and relations of power vi affecting substance misusing parents within the modern state. Chapter 3 considers the development of child protection, children’s safeguarding, actuarialism and issues of governance. Chapter 4 examines Habermas’ theory of communicative action, rights discourses and how support and advocacy might develop. Remaining chapters examine research fieldwork. Chapter 5 explains the qualitative research design, research method and ethical considerations. Chapter 6 analyses data in terms of governance and risk and tentatively theorises those matters, and chapter 7 analyses data and theorises possibilities for support and advocacy. Chapter 8 formulates conclusions regarding how the FaSST has addressed parents’ concerns and promoted involvement in their children’s interests within the regulatory child care framework. It theorises support and advocacy in that context, and it identifies implications for its further development.