Domestic abuse support expanded for children

More support will be offered to children at risk of domestic abuse across a county under a new scheme

Domestic abuse advisers will now be able to work directly with children assessed as at standard and medium risk, following specialist training funded by Northamptonshire's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner's (PFCC) office.

The PFCC's Early Intervention Domestic Abuse Support Team receives about 60 new referrals a week, according to its figures.

"The scale of demand we are seeing is stark," said Northamptonshire's PFCC Danielle Stone.

In March the team supported 258 families across the county, representing 449 children and young people.

Stone said: "Domestic abuse harms families and children every day, and too many young people grow up believing that fear and instability are normal parts of family life.

"By expanding specialist training, we are ensuring children and young people receive focused, trauma‑informed support at the point when it can make the greatest possible difference.

"Early intervention is vital to reducing trauma, preventing harm from escalating and helping families build safer, more stable futures."

The team is expected to be fully trained in specialist childhood interventions and support by the end of the year.

Lucy Spencer, a senior practitioner on the team, said: "No child should grow up feeling frightened in their own home, yet for too long there has been very little specialist support aimed directly at children living with domestic abuse.

"This training allows practitioners to give children a safe space to talk, helps them make sense of their emotions, and reassures them that what they have experienced is not their fault.

"We see first‑hand how early, trauma‑informed support can change the course of a child's life."

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