"It's Quite Difficult to Feel that it's so Helpful" : A scoping review about standardized assessments in social work with domestic violence.

The purpose of this study is to examine how standardized risk assessment tools within the social services for working with violence in close relationships are presented in research and through the experience of social workers. The study has applied a scoping review as a method, and the empirical data consists of eleven scientific articles. The articles are analyzed through a thematic analysis, and the results are interpreted in relation to codes and patterns that emerge in empirical data. Three main themes were identified; standardized tools as a basis or a complement, necessary conditions, and identified challenges. The following main themes are then broken down into several sub-themes. The results of the study show that standardization is considered beneficial as it helps to create structure and security when it comes to asking about violence. The results also show that standardization has several challenges, partly in the rigidity of the instruments, and partly in that it can contribute to uncertainty. For social workers, standardization requires professional knowledge that is not always available within the organizations. Overall, the study contributes to increased knowledge about the impacts of standardized tools on social work and social workers’ experiences of these tools.