Practitioners Knowledge and Understanding of Technology faciliated violence and abuse (PGR/ECR Webinar)

Guest Speaker:  Dr Loren Parton

Title: The knowledge and understanding of practitioners of technology-facilitated violence and abuse

Abstract: 

Image- based sexual abuse (IBSA) is a specific form of technology-facilitated violence and abuse (TFVA). Whilst scholarship in this area is growing, and has value in drawing into focus the ways that technology is shifting the mode and means of harm, it is also uncovering issues in terms of practice and policy responses. This presentation reports the findings of a study conducted in 2025 in which a range of practitioners were interviewed on the topic of TFVA and IBSA to understand their professional experiences and knowledge around this type of abuse. Implications for practice and policy are that although IBSA appears to be prevalent, frontline practitioners are not equipped to respond confidently nor effectively suggesting a training need and research to inform the multidisciplinary practice contexts that respond to IBSA.

About the speaker: 

Dr Parton is a Research Associate and co-lead of the Sheffield Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Research Network (ShIVAR) at the University of Sheffield. She joined the Department of Sociological Studies (now School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations) in 2023 as a Research Associate. She completed a BSC (Hons) in Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge and MSc in Investigative Psychology at the University of Huddersfield. This was followed by the completion of her PhD in Criminology at the University of Huddersfield. Dr Parton has a practice background and was a Probation Officer with experience of community and custodial practice, prior to this working in substance misuse services. Her research interests are focused around Image-based sexual abuse and Technology- Facilitated violence and abuse (TFVA) with an interest in marginalised groups such as the LGBT+ communities as well as victim blaming and the harms and impacts experienced by TFVA.

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