New funding set to expand support for families affected by child to parent abuse

Up to 120 children and young people and their families are set to benefit from specialist support thanks to fresh funding for a service tackling violence from young people towards their parents or caregivers.

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen and members of the County Durham and Darlington Serious Violence Prevention Partnership have approved a £47,510 grant to expand and sustain the delivery of the Respect Young People’s Programme (RYPP) across the force area, alongside funding two new additional Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse (CAPVA) Ambassadors.

The investment, from of the Violence Prevention Fund, is in addition to funding already in place to deliver the existing service within both Durham County Council and Darlington Borough Council.  

RYPP is a well-evidenced, whole-family intervention designed for children and young people aged eight to 18 who are using violence or abuse towards parents or carers.

It addresses a high-risk but often hidden form of domestic abuse, supporting families to reduce harm, improve relationships, and prevent escalation into more serious violence.

The project is expected to directly support around 80 to 120 children and young people and their families over a 12-month period and addresses several key commitments in the PCC’s Police, Crime and Justice Plan. These include preventing and diverting young people away from serious violence and criminality through targeted early intervention services for young people and delivering on a statutory duty to prevent serious violence and tackle the causes and impact of serious violence.

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen said: “Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse is a hidden harm but is recognised as having a high prevalence across the UK and beyond. Studies have suggested as much as 40% of those experiencing it do not report it, with parents often feeling immense shame and blaming themselves or fearing criminalisation of their child.

“We know that families often reach out for help at a crisis point, but partners are working hard locally to ensure families and young people receive support much earlier to stop abuse before it escalates. These efforts are already delivering impressive results.

“For this reason, we are pleased to support an expansion of this vital work and further support young people and their families to reduce harm, improve relationships and eliminate the risks of more serious violence in the future. The interventions delivered through RYPP are rooted in holistic approaches that offer families and children the emotional sustenance they need without judgement, hopefully encouraging more families to seek out and accept help in the future.”

The funding will enable increased delivery of RYPP group programmes across the force area, targeting children and young people aged eight to 18 using harmful behaviours towards parents and carers, particularly those known to Early Help, Children’s Social Care or Youth Justice, those experiencing multiple vulnerabilities including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma and those at risk of escalation into serious violence or offending.  

Participants will be identified through established referral pathways involving multi-agency partners.

Meanwhile, two additional CAPVA Ambassadors will complete the structured RYPP Ambassador Programme, delivered by Respect, which will include intensive training, shadowing, co-delivery, supervised practice and portfolio assessment.  

The Serious Violence Prevention Partnership was created to oversee the implementation of the Government’s Serious Violence Duty in January 2023 and requires organisations to work together to reduce and prevent serious violence in their local areas.  

Members have since developed and published the Serious Violence Response Strategy 2024 setting out how partners will work together in the future to better protect young people from being drawn into serious violence.

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