Adolescence (10–25 years) is a time in an individuals' life where, in many social contexts, peer relationships increase in influence in many Western societies. When considered in the context of young people's experiences of violence and abuse, young people's friendships and wider peer relationships can:
And yet, research agendas that have informed the development of social work and wider service responses to child abuse and maltreatment have predominantly focused on abuse and protection through parent–child relationships and family contexts, failing to engage with peer dynamics of safety and harm. Moreover, these services are largely delivered by adults to young people, while young people assess support through peers who have limited understanding or strategies to recognise and support this help-seeking.
This special issue will draw together a multi-disciplinary body of thought to illuminate associations between young people's friendships, and peer relationships, and their experiences of abuse and protection. In doing so it will signal opportunities for, and challenges with, developing responses suitable for safeguarding adolescents.
The guest editors of this special issue invite contributions which:
We welcome contributions in the form of Original Articles or Short Reports from researchers in fields including social work, sociology, psychology, criminology, geography, education and others. We also welcome Short Reports or Continuing Professional Development articles from practitioners involved in the development of service or system responses to young people who have experienced harm or abuse. For this special issue the guest editors are also keen to receive contributions from young people, in partnership with researchers or practitioners, who have been involved in projects that evidence or consider the influence of peer relationships and friendship on young people's safety.
Priority themes for this special issue include:
Peer relationships and their associations to child abuse in adolescence including:
Help-seeking and protection within peer relationships including:
Peer interventions to increase the safety of young people during adolescence including:
If you would like to discuss a possible contribution, please contact one of our guest editors:
Papers will be subject to Child Abuse Review’s normal peer review procedures. See Author Guidelines