I am grateful to Eddie Gallagher for bringing a new report to my attention. “It’s been an absolute nightmare”, Family violence in kinship care, was published by Baptcare in September 2017. The report, written by Rachel Breman and Ann MacRae, draws on the responses to a survey of kinship carers in the state of Victoria, into the types, frequency and impact of family violence directed towards the kinship care placement, from close family members or from the child themselves. This group of people offers care to children in both statutory and voluntary placements, the true number of which may be significantly higher than the number known about. They were found to be particularly under-supported, and experienced additional risks, threats and actual violence because of the family link. Violence and abuse from the children and young people themselves was associated with the experience of trauma and attachment issues. There is an interesting section on the reasons these families find it difficult to report the abuse. Recommendations are made for better understanding, training and service provision for these families. Continue reading
Exploring Child to Parent Violence: PhD opportunity at Bradford University
This PhD is particularly concerned with adult children, where those children have learning difficulties or ASD diagnosis, and their violent, challenging behaviour is directed towards parents.
Project Description
To what extent is child to parent violence recognised within the legal system, as adults with challenging behaviours commit acts of violence against their parents and how is this experienced as an everyday occurrence?
Adolescent to parent violence (APV) has, in recent years, been recognised as something different to domestic violence. This is often due to the fact that those experiencing the violence are the parent, more often the mother, and therefore do not want their ‘child’ to face charges and go to prison. However, in the context of learning difficulties and ASD people who are violent towards family members are not always under 18 and so do not fit within the adolescent to parent age group.
What can we understand about this phenomenon? How does a parent, more often a mother, manage these practically volatile emotionally charged encounters? What can social care do to support these families without fear of the incarceration for their son or daughter? How can this contribute to a ‘safeguarding’ agenda?
We are looking for PhD students who would be able to carry out qualitative research with family members, offenders, or those who work within this challenging area.
Filed under Research
“Not a solution, but a system”: Adoption and Fostering Podcast interview with Delyth Evans
Another cracking podcast from the Adoption and Fostering Podcast team!
Episode 26 features an interview with Delyth Evans, Service Manager at the Centre for Adoption and Support. Delyth and Al Coates talk about the experience of child to parent violence within adoptive families. I have been asked a lot recently about safety plans and so of particular interest to me were discussions about family safety planning and safe holding, and all within a context of safeguarding the whole family.
The Centre for Adoption Support offer a three stage support programme for families,
- A 1 day workshop on child to parent violence
- An introduction to the principles of NVR
- A workshop on how to manage challenging behaviour at a practical level
and family safety plans are described as fundamental to the whole offer. The emphasis is very much on understanding the violence in context, rather than as a specific incident; and in supporting parents to find strategies to manage their child’s behaviour while keeping the whole family safe.
Well worth a listen!
Filed under projects
Unless we address the issues behind CPV, “we are committing children to failure”
Tuesday, this week, saw an explosion across the media within Britain of items on the challenges of adoption, particularly the impact of child to parent violence.
The BBC’s joint investigation with Adoption UK culminated in a 40 minute File on 4 radio programme, Adoption: Families in Crisis, which was picked up on national and local stations, and TV programmes such as Victoria Derbyshire; interviewing families and organisations and further unpacking the crises in which many families find themselves. Continue reading
Filed under news reports, radio and video
DVIP representation at the European Conference on Domestic Violence
There are regular opportunities to apply to present a paper or workshop at national and international conferences on domestic violence or child protection, and it is good to hear from people who have taken up the gauntlet and travelled afar to take part in wider opportunities to learn and share good practice. Recently a team from DVIP travelled to Portugal, and I am pleased to post this review of the conference by Maria Duah, one of the presenters from the DVIP team, who works as a trainer with Youth2000. Some interesting thoughts here about the way the issue of child to parent violence is conceptualised in different countries, and the corresponding differing responses.
My work at the Domestic Violence Intervention Project takes me all over London – sometimes outside of London! On this occasion there were no complaints from myself or my colleague Nathan, we were more than happy to travel to Portugal to deliver a workshop on Child to Parent Violence at the European conference II on domestic violence . It was a 3 day event held at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Porto (FPCEUP), Portugal. The Conference was a collaboration between FPCEUP, UMAR – Women’s Association Alternative & Response and APAV – Portuguese Association for Victims Support, and is held bi-annually. Continue reading
Filed under conference report
“Children who exhibit the most severe and persistent anti-social behaviour are being failed by the system”
There has been a mixed response to the item about children with “Callous Unemotional Traits” on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning.
(Clip here)
Filed under Discussion, radio and video
#CPV: What does it look like, part 3. “It happened again tonight”
I am publishing this twitter thread from September 10th, with permission from Ian, who tweets as @DiaryAutism.
I think it adds something to the recent musings about the intent issue, and about the different issues for families where there is an autism diagnosis (here and here for instance); and leaves absolutely no room for any doubt about how it feels, for this person, to be a parent in that situation.
The most powerful emotion I have ever felt is the love for and desire to protect my children
It’s not that I’d take a bullet for them. It’s that I’d run through a brick wall to take a bullet for them Continue reading
Filed under Discussion
Summer #CPV harvest
I am often asked how I come across the news, articles and publications that I tweet and blog about, in relation to child to parent violence (CPV). My original rationale for this site was along the lines of “I do it so you don’t have to”, but of course things are never that straight forward, and the truth is much more like “we do this together”. But here goes: Continue reading
Filed under Discussion
Child to parent violence and abuse at Community Care Live 2017
I am thrilled to announce that I will be speaking about child to parent violence and abuse at the Community Care Live 2017 conference in London on September 26th, along with Al Coates. As one of the flagship social work events of the year, this is a real privilege, and it feels like an important milestone in the development of awareness and better support for families.
We will be presenting on why CPVA happens, and how to respond when a family seeks help.
- What research tells us about risk factors associated with child to parent violence, and what the most common ages are for abuse to start.
- How the abuse affects parents, and what they want from social workers and services.
- The different issues raised when child to parent abuse emerges as an issue for a child who has been adopted, or is in a foster care, kinship care or special guardianship placement.
- How social workers and services can support families experiencing violence or abuse.
Do come along and say hello (and hear us speak!) We have the early slot on the Tuesday, so no excuses!
Filed under Announcements
Child to parent violence: an unhelpful phrase?
Once upon a time, when I didn’t know so much about “parent abuse” it seemed a little exciting to be at the forefront of a new phenomenon. It felt important to speak clearly and categorically, for clarity, and the avoidance of misunderstanding – which was commonplace. “Parent abuse? You mean abuse BY parents? No? You must mean older people then?” Now it seems that the more I learn, the less certain I am about anything – other than the fact that many, many more parents than we would like to think about are struggling daily with much, much more than anyone should ever have to face within their family. Continue reading
Filed under Discussion
HOLES IN THE WALL 