Children and young people are also victims of domestic abuse when they are living in an abusive household. In fact, 90% of children are in the same or the next room when abuse occurs at home.
Children and young people can sense tension between adults, they are very perceptive and can feel scared and helpless when their home doesn’t feel safe. Witnessing domestic abuse can have the same emotional effects as experiencing it first hand and it can cause long term effects on emotional wellbeing and cognitive function.
Children and young people often blame themselves for abuse between parents and it’s important they understand that it’s not their fault. Feeling unsafe at home causes stress and worry, impacting on schooling, friends, emotional resilience and physical wellbeing.
Our service offers support to 5-18 year olds affected by domestic abuse, which can be current or historic. This includes witnessing abuse from parents or being abused by a partner. Young people may be in abusive relationships themselves and may need support to understand that power and control within a relationship is unhealthy.
Children and young people need to know they can keep themselves safe and it’s important that they have someone to talk to who they trust and who understands them.
We accept self referrals and agency referrals for this service, please contact us for more details.