Trying to find safety, to make it speakable, and to mourn the losses – Children’s recovery from domestic abuse

Purpose: This article addresses a gap in our understanding of children’s ‘recovery’ from domestic abuse. Whilst the impacts of domestic abuse on children have been well-documented and researched, their recovery from it has been under-theorized. By analyzing qualitative accounts on children’s participation in recovery programmes, the article uses Judith Herman’s trauma recovery model, to make the how of children’s recovery explicit. Methods: Conducted in Scotland, the research involved individual qualitative interviews with 14 children (aged 7-15 years) and their 14 mothers, who had completed Cedar, a 12-week therapeutic and peer support group programme. A co-produced approach to initial data analysis foregrounded children and mothers’ own priorities for children’s recovery and afforded findings greater rigor. These priorities were then further analyzed using Herman’s trauma recovery framework. Findings: Findings offer insight on the ways in which structures, resources, and values designed into the recovery programmes can mobilize children’s experiences of domestic abuse to help them find safety; make domestic abuse ‘speakable’; as well as provide space for children to mourn the losses resulting from domestic abuse. Findings further indicate the power of group-based interventions and the ways in which they can promote recovery through ideas of nurture and care. Conclusions: By using Herman’s theoretical lens for recovery, the article makes a new contribution to understandings of children’s recovery from domestic abuse. It identifies key factors that contribute to children’s ability to recover including: their sense of safety, the role of the mother–child relationship and significance of the child-father relationship.</p

Scotland's Children Bill: why the law needs to protect the rights of the child when parents separate

First paragraph: Divorce and separation affects many families, and following a breakup, most make their own arrangements about where children will live and how their relationships with each parent will work. But some families struggle with this, especially if there are issues like domestic abuse or other concerns about children’s welfare.https://theconversation.com/scotlands-children-bill-why-the-law-needs-to-protect-the-rights-of-the-child-when-parents-separate-13918

“A GREAT PROGRAM... FOR ME AS A GRAMMA”: CAREGIVERS EVALUATE A FAMILY LITERACY INITIATIVE

In this article, we report a study in which we asked 137 parents and caregivers to evaluate a year‐long family literacy program in which they participated. Parents valued the insights they gained about children’s learning in general and literacy development in particular. They reported that they learned from each other as well as from the program facilitators; valued especially the structure of the program wherein they spent time working with children in classrooms; felt more included in the school community; and enhanced their self‐esteem and their ability to advocate for their families. Key words: families, literacy, school, family literacy, Parents As Literacy Supporters (PALS) Les auteurs présentent les résultats d’une recherche durant laquelle ils ont demandé à 137 parents et ou tuteurs d’évaluer un programme de littératie familiale auquel ils avaient participé durant un an. Les parents se sont dits heureux d’avoir pu ainsi mieux comprendre comment leurs enfants apprennent en général et en particulier comment leur littératie se développe. Ils ont signalé qu’ils ont appris de leur enfant et vice versa ainsi que des facilitateurs. Ils ont aimé la structure du programme qui leur a permis de travailler avec les enfants en classe. Ils se sentent ainsi davantage impliqués dans l’école et l’expérience leur a permis d’avoir plus confiance en eux‐ mêmes et en leur aptitude à se faire les avocats de leur famille. Mots clés : familles, littératie, école, littératie familiale, Parents As Literacy Supporters (PALS)

“A GREAT PROGRAM... FOR ME AS A GRAMMA”: CAREGIVERS EVALUATE A FAMILY LITERACY INITIATIVE

In this article, we report a study in which we asked 137 parents and caregivers to evaluate a year‐long family literacy program in which they participated. Parents valued the insights they gained about children’s learning in general and literacy development in particular. They reported that they learned from each other as well as from the program facilitators; valued especially the structure of the program wherein they spent time working with children in classrooms; felt more included in the school community; and enhanced their self‐esteem and their ability to advocate for their families. Key words: families, literacy, school, family literacy, Parents As Literacy Supporters (PALS) Les auteurs présentent les résultats d’une recherche durant laquelle ils ont demandé à 137 parents et ou tuteurs d’évaluer un programme de littératie familiale auquel ils avaient participé durant un an. Les parents se sont dits heureux d’avoir pu ainsi mieux comprendre comment leurs enfants apprennent en général et en particulier comment leur littératie se développe. Ils ont signalé qu’ils ont appris de leur enfant et vice versa ainsi que des facilitateurs. Ils ont aimé la structure du programme qui leur a permis de travailler avec les enfants en classe. Ils se sentent ainsi davantage impliqués dans l’école et l’expérience leur a permis d’avoir plus confiance en eux‐ mêmes et en leur aptitude à se faire les avocats de leur famille. Mots clés : familles, littératie, école, littératie familiale, Parents As Literacy Supporters (PALS)

Consultation with children and young people with experience of domestic abuse on Scottish Government National Domestic Abuse Delivery Group draft proposals : main report

Findings and Conclusions: Major Themes • There was support in principle from young people for all of the proposals • Young people gave careful consideration to the proposals and to how they might operate in practice; they expressed some caution about supporting them unreservedly until it was demonstrated they would work in practice • In relation to all of the proposals young people had concerns about confidentiality and privacy, about to the ability to control the flow of personal information, and there were concerns about trust • Participants expressed the importance of the proposals contributing to young people being and feeling safe

Prevalence and social inequality in experiences of domestic abuse among mothers of young children:A study using national survey data from Scotland

Domestic abuse is a pernicious societal issue that has both short- and long-term consequences for those who are victimized. Research points to motherhood being linked to women’s victimization, with pregnancy being a particular point of risk. Across UK jurisdictions, new legislation aims to extend the criminalization of domestic abuse to include coercive control. Less clear is the relationship between mothers’ victimization of different “types” of abuse and other factors such as age, socioeconomic status, and level of education. The article makes an original contribution to knowledge by addressing these limitations of the existing literature. Using nationally representative data from a Scottish longitudinal survey (N = 3,633) into children’s development this article investigates the social stratification of mothers’ exposure to different types of abuse, including coercive control, physical abuse, and threats. Overall, 14% of mothers report experiencing any type of domestic abuse since the birth of the study child (age 6), of which 7% experienced physical abuse. Compared to mothers in the highest income households, mothers in the lowest income quintile were far more likely to experience any form of abuse (Logistic Regression, OR = 3.55), more likely to have experienced more types of abuse and to have experienced these more often (OR = 5.54). Age had a protective effect, with mothers aged 20 or younger at most risk of abuse (OR = 2.60 compared to mothers aged 40+). Interaction effects between age and income suggested that an intersectional lens may help explain the cumulative layers of difficulty which young mothers on low incomes may find themselves in when it comes to abusive partners. The pattern of social stratification remained the same when comparing different types of abuse. Mothers of boys were more likely to experience abuse, and to experience more types of abuse, more often. We reflect on how these findings could inform existing policy interventions.Output Status: Forthcoming/Available Onlin