The National Association of Swedish Crisis Centres for Men is the only nationwide organisation in the country representing this field of work. Its function is to act as a central administrative body for Sweden’s crisis centres for men. Today there are 11 associated crisis centres. The first three centres were started in 1986, 1988 and 1991. Any centre working in the field of crisis and violent behaviour with respect to men where the treatment is carried out by psychologists, social workers or similar may join the association.

The central organisation was formed in 1997, being preceded by five years of informal networking between the small numbers of crisis centres that then existed in Sweden.

The first national conference on treatment methods and availability for cases of domestic violence was held 10–11 May 2006. The National Association of Swedish Crisis Centres for Men was one of the two instigators and arrangers.

The aims of the National Association

• Work towards equality between men and women
• Be a knowledge forum for centres working with men in crisis
• Place a strong focus on preventive measures and treatment of men’s problems in terms of aggression and domestic violence
• Acquire new knowledge on the subject and pass it on to society at large
• Support the activities of existing crisis centres and newly started centres, as well as work to increase the number of professional crisis centres
• Act as the referral body for issues concerning the knowledge scope of the National Association.

Through compiling a Policy Document The National Association has created a common platform. This Policy adheres to the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on The Rights of The Child.

Our Policy document in brief

• Our basic humanistic outlook is that all human beings have equal value, have the same rights and obligations, and that each human being is unique.
• We shall focus on children, especially those that are vulnerable and further co-operation with child oriented activities.
• In terms of professional ethics, the integrity of the individual shall be respected providing it does not interfere with the security and protection of any other individual. Those carrying out treatment must ensure that the individual receiving the treatment understands the purpose of the contact. Information of a confidential type must be handled carefully and in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.
• Those working at crisis centres must be educated psychologists or social workers, or have a corresponding education in another field of behavioural science.
• It is particularly important to work in co-operation with other organizations which provide care for the victims of violence. Sensitivity for the consequences of violence and the security of victims is also of extreme importance.
• All forms of violence are complex and call for different comprehension models, and by the same token different forms of treatment. Our focus is on domestic violence. Our work is based on the principle that a man using violence is responsible for his actions, that children who witness violence are the victims of violence, that any use of violence is against Swedish Law and that it is possible to influence violent behaviour.
• Domestic violence includes all types of psychological, physical, sexual and material violence that can occur in close relationships.
• Our theoretical starting point is that violence must be understood on the basis of an overall perspective. This implies that sociological theory makes clear the inequality in power-sharing between men and women. Relations theories point out the existence of imbalance and dysfunctional interaction. Communicative theory brings up deficiencies in communication and conflict management. Medical factors can also contribute to explaining violent behaviour. Finally, the psychological perspective points out individual explanation models for violence.
• All these perspectives need to be taken into account in the treatment of men’s violence and application of preventive measures.
• Through our crisis centres we are offering men the opportunity to apply for help in respect to both crisis and violence. This will enable us to prevent violence through crisis treatment and also discover cases of violence among the men who come to us for help due to crisis.

Our policy document states the research aims and ethical guiding principles of the National Association. The aim of research is to compile scientifically based knowledge which can contribute to long term development within our field of knowledge. We shall also take advantage of other research results.

The purpose of the ethical standpoints is to provide norms for the relationship between researchers and individuals taking part in the research, so as to obtain a good balance between the demands of research and the integrity and protection of individuals. In this regard the National Association adheres to the ethical principles of the Swedish Council for Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Contact us:

The National Association of Swedish Crisis Centres for Men