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Families get new funding to address harmful behaviours

Funding to help families where children and adolescents are abusive or violent towards their parents or carers has been secured by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk.  The Home Office’s Perpetrator Fund has allocated £625,000 to support a two-year pilot to deliver the Respect Young Peoples Programme (RYPP), using a multi-agency approach across Norfolk.

The funding will be used to respond to Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse (known as CAPVA) using a partnership approach between the following agencies:

  • The Norfolk Youth Justice Service (NYJS)
  • Norfolk County Council’s Children’s Services (NCS)
  • Norfolk Constabulary, Norfolk Integrated Domestic Abuse Services (NIDAS; managed by Leeway)
  • Brave Futures
  • Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk (OPCCN)

This will support the aims as set out in the Government’s Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan, Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy (VAWG) and by the county’s wider safeguarding system. It will ensure statutory and non-statutory partners work together effectively to identify and support children and young people who both exhibit and experience harmful behaviours. It will remove the barrier for families to disclose CAPVA and to get the tailored support they need from specialist practitioners and support services.

The project will aim to receive up to 250 referrals for the 12-week Respect Young Peoples Programme, referring children, young people, and their parents and carers for support from all the agencies involved.

The funding will also allow up to 18 children to access specialist, intensive neurodiversity support per year through partner organisation Brave Futures.

Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Giles Orpen-Smellie said: “This funding gives us a perfect opportunity to build on the work already being carried out to support children, adolescents and their families experiencing domestic abuse.

“Two of the priorities set out in my Police, Crime and Community Safety Plan, Preventing Offending and Supporting Victims, focus on the importance of early intervention and the safeguarding of vulnerable victims.

“This joined-up approach should make a real difference for families who are struggling to cope by filling a clear gap in the support that is available. Enabling children and adolescents to be aware of their own behaviour and reduce their risk to others will help prepare them for the future, to achieve their potential and improve safety for all involved.”

Mandy Proctor, Chief Executive of Leeway and Chair of NIDAS Board, said: “We welcome this funding announcement and are excited to be part of this pilot project, delivering the Respect Young People’s Programme for families where young people are abusive towards their parents or carers.

“Challenging and addressing abusive and violent behaviour is an important part of breaking the cycle of domestic abuse, particularly with young people, helping them to understand the impact of their behaviour and make positive changes moving forward.

“This new service will bring together the knowledge and experience of a range of partners, once again highlighting the shared commitment to tackle domestic abuse in Norfolk. We all have a role to play to tackle domestic abuse, supporting those that experience it and holding perpetrators to account for their behaviour.”

Cllr Penny Carpenter, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for Children’s Services, said: “We are really pleased to be participating in this exciting partnership opportunity, which will enable us to enhance our domestic abuse support services to provide the right help to families at the right time for them.

“Acts of violence which happen behind closed doors within a family unit can be extremely disturbing for all family members: those who perpetrate it, those at the receiving end, and those who witness it, for whom the scars can last a lifetime.”

Jo Todd CBE, Chief Executive of Respect, said: “The Respect Young People’s Programme (RYPP) is delighted to be part of the successful bid of this Norfolk PCC led partnership project. This work will mark a step forward in understanding and addressing Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse (CAPVA) in the county as part of a wider recognition of the importance of early intervention.

“We look forward to working with the PCC and our partners at Brave Futures, Youth Justice, Children’s Services and the Norfolk Integrated Domestic Abuse Service (NIDAS) to deliver this important piece of work.”

The anticipated outcomes of the project are to:

  • Reduce verbal aggression, severity of violence and abuse in close relationships 
  • Improve emotional well-being (coping with anxiety, anger, depression, emotional self-regulation), inclusive or therapeutic and clinical support offers for children/adolescents
  • Improve family communication, relationships and feelings of safety for all
  • Build parenting confidence and skills by a trained workforce who are supported and supervised by a nationally accredited organisation
  • Increase the children/adolescent’s insight to their own behaviour and reduce their risk to others