“I would have died. You saved my life, you were constantly checking on me and doing everything that needed to be done. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Children and young people’s reactions to the trauma of experiencing domestic abuse are just as varied as adult reactions. This trauma can have physical, social, emotional, and behavioural impacts.
Socially and emotionally, they can develop entrenched feelings of fear and anxiety, they can develop a sense of responsibility for protecting others, struggle with selfworth and find it difficult to make or keep friends.
Behaviourally, they will often either internalise or externalise the feelings that they are having. Externalised behaviour can present as aggressive, bursts of anger, internalised feelings can present as being withdrawn or even detached and uninterested.
Children and young people experiencing any of these feelings or behaviours need support so they can recover and learn how to cope with their experiences. Support from our service comes in many forms. We support the children to gain improved understanding around safety, mental and physical health, friendships and relationships, confidence and self-esteem.
Our education and prevention work delivers age-appropriate workshops in schools and youth settings, helping children and young people understand healthy relationships, build confidence and name experiences they may already recognise.
APA groupwork is a 6 session educational/therapeutic programme for parents/carers of a child/ young person who is acting abusively towards them or beyond their control. The APA group would be suitable for any of our clients of children displaying challenging and potentially abusive behaviour. The criteria for a client to be referred is that the challenging child is between the ages of 8 and 16.
We provide specialist one-to-one support for children most affected by domestic abuse, offering safe, trusted relationships where they can be heard, rebuild confidence and begin to heal, with support shaped around their needs.
You can make a referral to any of our services – whether you’re seeking support for yourself or contacting us as a professional. Choose an option below.
“I would have died. You saved my life, you were constantly checking on me and doing everything that needed to be done. I couldn’t have done it without you.”