Police scheme is aiming to reduce child to parent abuse in Norfolk

A pilot to provide specialist support to families affected by child to parent abuse is aiming to reduce violence in Norfolk.

The scheme, spearheaded and the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner Sarah Taylor, has already offered support to 81 children and young people and their families.

More than 70 practitioners across Norfolk Children’s Services, Norfolk Youth Justice, Norfolk Integrated Domestic Abuse Service (NIDAS) and some Norfolk schools have been trained to deliver Respect’s accredited intervention ‘The Respect Young Peoples Programme’ (RYPP).

This is targeted at families where children or young people aged 8 to 18 are displaying repeated abusive and harmful behaviour towards their parent or caregivers, including step-parents, adoptive parents, foster carers and kinship carers.

This abuse can be physical, verbal, emotional, psychological, sexual, financial, coercive and controlling, or involve damage to property.

Ms Taylor, said: “Thanks to funding from the Home Office’s Perpetrator Fund, this pilot has given us a rare opportunity to work closely with families experiencing child-and adolescent-to-parent violence and abuse.

“Some families experiencing this type of violence or abuse have said that they feel stuck between a rock and a hard place as they don't necessarily know how to best cope with the situation but don't want to get the police involved.

“By working with other organisations including Norfolk County Council's Children's Services, Youth Justice and NIDAS, this project has worked with families to help transform the support available, which in turn has helped them navigate these difficulties.

“Early findings show this work had had a profoundly positive effect on families involved, with a reduction in the need to involve the police or other services in interventions.

“This joined up approach represents true partnership working. The Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse (CAPVA) project has been overseen by my office and delivered in partnership with Respect, Norfolk Constabulary, Norfolk Integrated Domestic Abuse Service (NIDAS), Youth Justice, Norfolk Children’s Services and Brave Futures.

“As part of the project, NIDAS recruited two full-time CAPVA advocates, a UK first, and Brave Futures provided therapeutic support for young people who require extra support prior to engaging in the RYPP.

“I am delighted that this project has trained 72 practitioners to deliver the RYPP directly to families and the work by these practitioners will provide a lasting legacy.”

Justine Dodds, head of Respect Young People’s Service, said: “The Respect Young People’s Service (RYPS) has been delighted to work with the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner this year and last.

“The programme has two dedicated children and adolescent to parent violence and abuse (CAPVA) workers whose only role is to work with families on this specific type of abuse.

“This is the first time the Respect Young Peoples Service has trained staff in schools. This has been very exciting, with the potential to reach families before they hit crisis point and are forced to contact statutory services.

“The awareness raising work that we have delivered across children’s services and police is helping to improve understanding and empathy, and to identify what is often a ‘hidden harm’.

“We want to champion our partners and the people that we have trained so far. This programme has the potential to be truly transformational and preventative by stopping CAPVA, before it starts.”

After taking part in the Respect Young People’s Programme, one young person said: “It’s 100% helped me and mum and we have conversations every day.

“It’s not just helped me but it’s helped my whole family. We’re much happier now.”

Parents have also fed back on how the programme has improved family life.

One said: “It has been really helpful. My child has taken some tips from it and has been taking some things in and has been thinking a little bit before they act.”

Another added: “It is the first time in four years I have felt we have a worker who understands the issues, listens and affirms, and is able to come up with effective and positive interventions and it has been a completely invaluable experience which we will continue to benefit from.

“We've loved working with our RYPP worker.

Early findings from the pilot have shown that all RYPP practitioners have reported a reduction in violence and abuse for the families that have completed the programme.

The PCC office says that after completing the programme, 93% of parent and carers surveyed said it had helped to improve their relationship with their child.

Meanwhile, 100% of their children said that it had helped to improve their relationship with their parent or caregiver.