By Natausha van Vliet, CEO of PACT
1 in 5 children are impacted by domestic abuse in England – what is PACT doing about it?
Researchers and campaigners warn that more children in England and Wales could face domestic abuse than will have started primary school this year. One in five children are impacted by domestic abuse.
This is a staggering statistic. These are children whose mental health, relationships at home and emotional wellbeing may be deeply harmed by domestic abuse.
Six children in every classroom.
Home is supposed to be their safe space. But what happens for children when it becomes a place of fear? When going home feels scary and unpredictable? When being around violence and conflict becomes the norm?
Identifying what works for children affected by domestic abuse
PACT has been committed to supporting children and families affected by domestic abuse since it launched its Bounce Back 4 Kids (BB4K) programme in 2010. Over the years we have quietly been investing in shaping and refining the programme, listening to families, adapting tools and focusing on what helps children and families heal.
Recent studies have identified that children who have witnessed or experienced physical abuse at home are three times more likely to perpetrate emotional or physical relationship abuse in their own relationships in the future.
Breaking the cycle of domestic abuse
At PACT, we believe that no child should live in fear. Children deserve the support to help them understand what has happened to them, to move forward and heal from the abuse and to learn what healthy relationships look like. Bounce Back 4 Kids provides this support, and more.
In 2024 PACT was delighted to partner with Foundations, which formed after the merger of the What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care and the Early Intervention Foundation, to undertake groundbreaking research into how Bounce Back 4 Kids makes a difference for children.
The first phase of this research has shown real promise, and we are pleased to be continuing to work with Foundations on phase two and scaling the programme up to reach even more children across Berkshire and Oxfordshire over the next three years.
This is a major commitment for PACT, and one that everyone at PACT is united on. We believe this could be transformational for children in the future and help the Government to achieve its ambitious goal of halving violence against women and girls in the next decade.
The future for children
Earlier this month I was proud to represent PACT at a round table event at 10 Downing Street. I joined organisations from across the country who are all focused on tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG). Together we heard from the Prime Minster and then from Jess Philips, Minister for Safeguarding and VAWG about the Government’s strategy and its bold ambition to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.
I was proud to share insights from our work and bring the voices of the children and families we work with in Bounce Back 4 Kids and the experiences of the many women we work alongside of through our women’s community project Alana House, many of whom have lived through domestic abuse themselves. There were rich discussions in the room about how we need to empower communities to have difficult conversations and ensure the right support and services are available to every child and woman who needs it.
Some of the key questions I raised included:
- What priority will children have in the VAWG strategy?
- How will the Government ensure that children’s voices are heard, listening to them about their views on contact with their perpetrator parent. Can we move away from the victim survivor parent taking this responsibility?
- Is the Government going to bring in measures to reduce post separation abuse, including abuse through family courts?
- Will there be a cross-department commitment to supporting women in the criminal justice system who are victims of domestic abuse and funding to support them to be diverted from the criminal justice system and ensure they receive the support they need to recover and heal?
- Will the Government commit to having a system that does not re-traumatise victims when they report abuse, giving victims confidence in reporting and feeling heard?
- Can the Government address the current barriers to support experienced by victims with no recourse to public funds?
While I was not able to get direct answers to these issues on the day, Ministers committed to funding what works for the recovery of child victims of domestic abuse, taking a family-led approach with the non-offending parent. PACT welcomes this and looks forward to seeing what this looks like in practice.
The ministers talked about keeping a focus on what already works across the Violence Against Women and Girls sector and that victims and survivors get the support they need to recover. Again, this is welcomed by PACT.
Education, schools and the huge challenges with the threats from the online space rightly all had a focus, and here at PACT we will continue to champion supporting changes.
There is a lot of work to do, and no single organisation can achieve this alone. Now is the time to lean in, collaborate and, importantly, listen to what children, families and women need.
Those one in five children are relying on us.
As the government launches its VAWG strategy today, I am encouraged by the priority being given to this hugely important issue and hopeful that funding will follow to ensure we can all deliver what is needed across the sector.
I hope that in 10 years’ time, we can say “we did it”.
