South Wales
Domestic abuse
Children and young people impacted by domestic abuse will receive help and support
75 local children from families where domestic abuse has been a factor, and where the families have chosen to stay together, will receive help and support thanks to a grant to the Calan Domestic Violence Services (DVS) charity.
The £55,000 grant will fund a Children and Young People’s worker for to support with the delivery of Calan’s Inspiring Families Programme (developed by Rockpool*), which aims to develop trust and motivation in the non-abusive parent so they will have a clearer understanding of the impact that the abuse has had on the way they think. They will be encouraged to examine their parenting role and how they have been prevented from nurturing their children. The programme also examines their intimate relationship role – where is it healthy and unhealthy and offer learning to enable future planning based on the safety of the family.
The programme can strengthen and stabilise families and provides professionals with a robust framework to assess the parent’s behaviour, including any disguised compliance and the level of current risk as well as the likelihood of future risk. Outcomes also include supporting separation as families decide that they may want to leave the relationship during the programme.
A main aim of the programme is to hear and empower the voice of the children. Now, with the continued funding of this programme for children and young people, the charity will continue to embrace the ‘voice of the child’ within the family assessment and address the impact that living in an abusive household has.
The children and young people’s element to this project, known as Listen and Hear Me, provides enhanced care and support to children aged six to 18, it also incorporates the views, experiences and behaviours of the children and young people within the family assessment.
Within the children and young people’s programme, the children are helped to recognise and begin to understand what is going on in their home, the impact that this has had on them and the way they cope with and respond to situations.
With tailored support plans for each child and family, supporting them to build their own self-esteem, resilience and coping strategies and to form positive lifestyles and healthy relationships.
We’re very grateful to South Wales Freemasons for their generous grant, which will significantly enhance our ability to assist more children and young people impacted by domestic abuse. Thanks to them we will continue to provide vital resources and support to children and families, helping them to overcome the challenges they face and to build safer, brighter futures.
I’m very pleased we’ve been able to help Calan DVS with their hugely important programme helping children and families who have gone through domestic abuse. It’s hard to overestimate the corrosive effect of violence and abuse on the lives of children and helping a family to stay together while tackling the causes of that abuse can be life-changing.
