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Services for children and families affected by domestic violence

Journalist briefing, September 2006

Children and young people who have lived with domestic violence are likely to have also suffered physical, emotional or sexual abuse by the violent adult.

The NSPCC has five teams across England, Wales and Northern Ireland providing support and treatment to children and families affected by domestic violence.

A further fifty-four teams which specialise in other child protection work such as Schools teams and Family Support Projects also deal with domestic violence issues.

Much of the NSPCC's work in the area of domestic violence is carried out in partnership with local agencies. These include local authorities, Sure Start and Women's Aid.

The NSPCC also works with perpetrators of domestic violence to help them change their violent behaviour and stop them from being a danger to their partners and children.  

Key statistics

  • Domestic violence accounts for almost a quarter (23%) of all violent crime (1)
  • The risk of child abuse is between three and nine times greater in a home where the adult partners hit each other (2)
  • It is estimated that between 30 and 60 per cent of children whose mothers are subjected to domestic violence are also being abused (3)
  • Statistics show that women are more likely to experience domestic violence than men - 23% of women and 15% of men aged 16-to 59 reported that they had been physically assaulted by a current or former partner at some time in their lives (4)

Supporting children and their families
Living with domestic violence can be traumatic for a child and can cause emotional and behavioural problems such as:

  • aggressive or disturbed behaviour, possibly from copying the violent adult.
  • problems at school such as aggression towards other pupils or lack of concentration in class.
  • feelings of anger, fear and depression,
  • nightmares
  • a lack of confidence
  • an inability to express emotions because they feel afraid, powerless or ashamed.

Counselling and therapy for post-traumatic stress can help children learn they are not to blame for what has happened to them and teach them practical skills to deal with their situation. 

Therapy can also help them to build non-violent relationships and address any risk of them abusing other children as a reaction to their trauma.

The NSPCC also works with their parents to help them understand the impact domestic violence has on children.

The NSPCC's local family support services also work on preventing families from suffering domestic violence. They help parents cope with difficult family life and the pressures of bringing up children, the strain of which can sometimes lead to domestic violence. 

Working with perpetrators of domestic violence

Government statistics show that in homes where adult partners are abusing each other, it is usually the father abusing the mother (5) and the majority of perpetrators the NSPCC works with are men.

The NSPCC has three teams that work with perpetrators, two of which are dedicated domestic violence prevention teams and the other a family support team. The NSPCC works with perpetrators who have not been convicted of a criminal offence but have either referred themselves for counselling or have been referred by other agencies such as Social Services or Relate. 

Perpetrators receive counselling, either individually or in a group, to help them to understand the distress their violent and controlling behaviour causes to their family. It also teaches them to take responsibility for their actions and find non-violent ways of solving family problems.

Source:
 (1) (Kershaw et al, 2000, British Crime Survey 2000 England and Wales, Home Office Statistical Bulletin 1)
(2) Moffitt & Caspi, Journal of child Psychology, vol 39, issue 2
(3) (Edleson, 2001, in Domestic Violence in the Lives of Children: The Future of Research, Intervention, and Social Policy)
(4) (Mirrlees-Black (1999) Domestic violence: findings from a new British crime survey self-completion questionnaire (PDF). Home Office Research Study 191.)
(5) ( Home Office (2006) Crime in England and Wales 2005/06, London, Home Office)