Time and time again I hear about the impact that child to parent violence and abuse can have on a parent’s ability to maintain employment. Whether in terms of embarrassment about injuries or taking time off sick; or having to be at home to supervise a child excluded from school, many parents have told me about the strain this places on their working life, often leading to a decision (not always voluntary) to leave a job, with all the changes this brings in terms of finances, social contact, and even housing.
So I was very interested recently to read about the work of PEGS in developing the Child to Parent Abuse Covenant (CPAC). PEGS have secured the support of the Department of Work and Pensions in promoting the covenant and in encouraging employers to sign up to raising awareness of the issue, creating an environment where parents feel comfortable and safe to disclose their situation and seek support.
The Covenant gives employers across the UK the opportunity to recognise Child to Parent Abuse as a key type of domestic abuse, and begin offering support to their staff, volunteers, and any service-users or members of the public they come into contact with. Organisations can sign the Covenant whether they have existing policies and staff training in place, or whether they are completely new to their journey of discovering what CPA is and how it affects families.
For more information – and indeed to sign the covenant – go to the PEGS website.
HOLES IN THE WALL 