Summary: This conference has been specifically designed
and researched for all those working in and
responsible for protecting and supporting
children and young people who experience
domestic violence: domestic violence
coordinators; directors of social services;
directors of children’s services; family court
advisers; social workers; child protection
officers; etc.
There has been a significant increase in research in recent years examining
the impact of domestic violence on children and young people1, showing
that children are more aware of and responsive to domestic violence than
previously thought. There is also a high correlation between child
physical abuse and domestic violence.
Key Issues:
From January this year, children who witness domestic violence have more
protection in law, as section 120 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 has
come into force. It extends the legal definition of harming children and now
includes harm suffered by seeing or hearing ill treatments of others.
The recently passed Children Act will make fundamental changes to the
way agencies and organisations deliver children’s services. Clearly the
needs of children and young people experiencing domestic violence should
be a fundamental aspect of the new children‘s services structure, helping
councils to ensure they have appropriate measures in place to identify
children at risk.
The recently published draft Children (Contact) and Adoption Bill, aims to
reduce the number of cases where children have no contact with their
fathers. However, the proposals have proved controversial as domestic
violence campaigners suggest there are good reasons why some mothers
refuse to allow children to see their fathers. In a recent study of 29
children who had been killed by a parent, it was found that in five of the
cases the court had ordered the contact, and in three of the cases
unsupervised contact was granted.
The Road Ahead
Evidently progress is being made to ensure children and young people who
experience domestic violence receive the support and protection they
need, but there are many challenges ahead. This conference will focus
on tackling the effects of domestic violence on children and young people.
It will examine what more needs to be done to ensure they have access to
support and protection and will identify, through case study sessions,
models of best practice for delivering children’s services.
The conference will take place in Central London.