Support for children and parents

Supports for children and parents

DVR can advise you on the different supports and services that are available for your children, such as play therapy and child counselling, as well as offer you support with parenting issues.

Impact on children

Living with domestic abuse in a climate of uncertainty and fear can affect children in many different ways as they grow up. Despite your best efforts to shield and protect your children from the domestic abuse that is going on at home, in the vast majority of cases, children of all ages will witness the abuse and be aware of it and effected by it.

Witnessing domestic abuse can mean:

actually seeing the abuse by being in the same room or possibly trying to intervene in it, or forced to take part in it.
hearing the violence and abuse.
observing the aftermath of the abuse (bruises, blood, broken furniture, torn clothes etc.).

Further, children who are growing up in families with domestic abuse are more likely to be being physically or sexually abused directly by the perpetrator as well.

Getting help

You may be afraid that if you seek help, your children could be taken away from you, but it is the opposite.

You are never responsible for a violent partner’s abuse. Seeking help and support is the responsible thing to do for your children and it is important if you are to protect your children from further harm and get the appropriate supports they may already need.

DVR can advise you on the different supports and services that are available for your children, such as play therapy and child counselling, as well as offer you support with parenting issues.

Our service offers:

child therapy to children who no longer live in violent situations.
referral to appropriate agencies to provide ongoing assistance.
interventions to assist parenting in the aftermath of domestic abuse.

Children are resilient and with support can overcome the effects of domestic abuse.

IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 and domestic abuse is happening in your home it is important that you know that adult domestic abuse is never your fault and it is not your job to fix it.

You are not alone, domestic abuse happens in many families and there are people and services that you can turn to that can help you and your family. Here are some safe sites that will help you find the information and support you need.

www.thehideout.org.uk
www.childline.ie
www.youthworkireland.ie
www.jigsaw.ie

Parenting in the aftermath of domestic abuse

Many issues arise for women who are coping with parenting in the aftermath of domestic abuse.

These include:

Re-establishing parental control in the aftermath of domestic abuse.
Establishing violent free homes and interrupting intergenerational abuse.
Learning to navigate access and parenting issues with a violent and emotionally abusive partner.
Dealing with the negative impact of domestic abuse including impact on children who identify with the abuser and who direct violence and controlling behaviour towards the women.
Children negatively impacted by the abuse who identify with the women and become her sole source of emotional support.

Focusing on these issues, Parenting in the aftermath of domestic abuse is a six week programme designed to help women create violent free homes, interrupt intergenerational violence and equip women to re-establish parental control.

Contact Us

091 866740

You can also reach us on 087 773 7957 and 087 164 6454
If you are in immediate danger, please contact the Gardaí on 999
24 Hour telephone support is available from Women’s Aid on 1800 341 900

A list of support services and refuges throughout Ireland is available on Safe Ireland’s website. Click here for more information https://www.safeireland.ie/get-help/where-to-find-help/