For some children, home may not always be a safe place and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may have made the situation worse.
During the pandemic, adults who work or volunteer with children and families aren’t able to maintain the same level of contact as normal. This makes it harder to understand what’s going on in a child’s life and spot when something isn’t right. It also makes it more difficult for children and young people to raise concerns about anything that’s going on at home.
As the Domestic Abuse Bill is at committee stage in the House of Commons, we're publishing information to demonstrate the importance of recognising the impact of domestic abuse on children and young people.
New insight from Childline and our helpline
Childline counselling sessions and NSPCC helpline contacts about domestic abuse have increased since the government’s stay at home guidance was issued.
We know that domestic abuse affects children in many ways, including their mental and physical wellbeing and behaviour. It has an impact on their family relationships and can also affect future relationships.
We’re sharing some of the things children have told Childline and adults have told our helpline about domestic abuse during lockdown, to improve understanding of how it is affecting children during the pandemic.
Read the full insight briefing
More learning from case reviews
We've updated our learning from case reviewing briefing pulling out practice areas to help improve responses to protecting children from the impact of domestic abuse.
The briefing highlights that practitioners need to consider the impact of domestic abuse on children and focus on the child's lived experience.
Read the learning from case review briefing
Supporting children and young people
We've also updated our learning from case reviewing briefing pulling out practice areas to help improve responses to protecting children from the impact of domestic abuse.
And we’ve pulled together some resources to help anyone who works or volunteers with children to recognise and respond to domestic abuse.
Click through to the next tab to find out more.