Child v parent domestic abuse to be tackled

Friday 13 July 2018

A conference being held in Guernsey today is focusing on a "hidden problem" when it comes to domestic abuse; incidents where children are violent against their parents.

Child to parent violence (CPV) is described as "the most hidden, misunderstood and stigmatised form of domestic abuse" and it can involve teenage children, or younger ones, who use physical, psychological, emotional and financial abuse towards their parents or carers, who may then come to live in fear of their child.

Now, the islands' Safeguarding Children Partnership and Domestic Abuse Strategy conference is set to address the issue with a joint meeting involving professionals working with children and families on the subject of child to parent violence.

Pictured: The Peninsula Hotel is hosting today's conference where delegates will tackle the "hidden problem" of child v adult domestic abuse 

The problem is considered to be "hidden" because although there are well publicised services available to women; and to an arguably lesser extent men, who suffer from domestic abuse at the hands of their partner or an ex, very little is publicly available for parents who are victims at the hands of their children.

It's claimed the "stigma and shame experienced by parents and carers who are in this situation often means they worry about seeking help from professionals for fear this might aggravate the problem. Other parents and carers might not know who to turn to for support."

It is acknowledged that "many practitioners in mainstream services have little knowledge and experience of how to tackle CPV and there are few specialised intervention projects nationally from which to seek advice."

As well as being an increasingly recognised problem nationally, CPV does affect the Bailiwick and it is known that Guernsey is not immune from the effects. Therefore today's conference has been arranged so that "agencies have a shared understanding of the issue as a multi-agency approach is often needed in order to achieve positive change."

Simon Westwood; Chair of the Islands Safeguarding Children Partnership, said the conference will provide an overview of CPV and will also look at some of the models of intervention available.

"It is intended to bring multi-agency professionals together to discuss the issue, relate it to their own work and develop a common understanding for the local context," he said. "How individuals and agencies work collaboratively to recognise and respond to CPV is important for the welfare of the children and families affected. The ultimate goal is to enable local professionals to work together effectively to support families, improve communication and build respectful relationships.” 

Pictured: Among the delegates at the conference are three experts who deal with the impact of CPV and try to raise awareness about the issue to prevent it happening. They include (l-r) Helen Bonnick and Jo Sharpen.

Among the delegates at today's conference will be three specialists who all work in this area and will help local practitioners address the issues of child parent violence.

Helen Bonnick (pictured above left) is a social worker with more than 30 years of experience working with children and families and she works to raise awareness of CPV. Jo Sharpen (pictured above right) is a qualified youth worker and is currently policy manager at Against Violence and Abuse. She co-wrote national guidance for the UK Home Office on child to parent abuse, was an advisor to the national Department for Education on preventing violence against women and girls and wrote a national toolkit on children and domestic violence for the Department of Health.

Maria Duah (not pictured) is a social worker with more than 18 years of experience of working with children and families, who most recently worked for the Domestic Violence Intervention Project in London. She has a specialist interest in CPV and has set up her own training agency, Youth2000 to train professionals in CPV and teenage intimate partner violence.