Resources for children & young people

Children should be recognised as victims of domestic abuse in their own right.  Witnessing or hearing abuse is as damaging as being the primary victim.  Sadly, some children are targeted with abuse or can get caught in the crossfire between adults.

This plan aims to help children feel safer in a home where there is domestic abuse. This plan should be completed by the child with a trusted adult. The adult should carefully consider the guide for safety planning before completing the plan with the child.

Whilst this is a confusing time for adults, some children may find their feelings about lockdown and the anxiety around Covid-19 upsetting and occasionally overwhelming. This time capsule booklet can be completed by a child, with support and guidance from a trusted adult, to help them explore their feelings as well as some of the positives about the situation. It's also something that can be kept to look back on - we are living through a moment in history, the likes of which we've never seen before.

This book, published specifically for children, helps explain the virus, the need for schools to be closed and us all be at home in a very child friendly way. There's also some links to further helpful resources on the last page of the book.

These are two great You Tube videos to help older and younger children understand and deal with anxiety. The first is for older children, the second for younger ones.

The following are a range of resources, developed by our Children & Young People's Worker. They aim to encourage children & young people to think and talk about their whole range of feelings and find positive ways of coping with them.  There are also some resources that enable and encourage children to think about their personal safety and what constitutes healthy and unhealthy relationships.  Adults should be present when discussing the topics and each resource should be checked for appropriateness for the particular.

Below is a list of websites that provide useful information for children and young people around domestic abuse, mental health, relationship issues, bullying, substance use and anger. The links in the document are clickable and will take you directly to the site.