Finnish professionals’ views on the position and agency of children in helping processes concerning cases of post-separation parental stalking and coercive control: A child’s right perspective

The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the position and agency of children in helping processes and professional encounters in cases where one parent targets the other with stalking and coercive and controlling behaviors after separation. The research question is: What kinds of positions and agency are ascribed to children in helping processes and professional encounters in cases of post-separation parental stalking and coercive control? The data analyzed here are professionals’ responses to a qualitative survey collected in connection with a national webinar on stalking and coercive control organized by the Finnish Stalking Support Center. There were 74 respondents to the survey. Three main categories for children’s positions and agency were formed: 1) The child caught in the middle, 2) The neglected child and 3) The child as a questioned knowledgeable agent. The positions and agency ascribed to children are discussed in the light of the children’s right to provision, protection and participation classified in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. To enable greater access to support for children and better realization of their rights, there is a need to include the children’s perspective in the helping processes of post-separation parental stalking and coercive control and regard children as agents with particular rights and needs for help.