Children and Young People's Services

Children and young people are affected by domestic abuse too. Our Children’s and Young People’s Team include Pre-school Practitioners, Creative Therapist and Children’s Support Workers. We can provide a range of services including emotional support for children and young people, parenting support, family work, pre-school education, school holiday activities. We also undertake some work in the community in partnership with local schools and other agencies.

Please take a look at our CYP leaflet for more information.

Children & Young People's Resources

A page just for young people - no adults allowed! Read more

Creative Therapy

Take a look at the creative therapy work that we offer to children and young people at our refuge. Read more

How we support children & young people

We realise the importance of listening to vulnerable children and young people to ensure that they are safeguarded and that their voices are heard. Where there are multi agency or single agency meetings about the child or young person we aim to ensure that their views and wishes are captured and shared in our reports. We aim to attend meetings whenever possible and to support young people to attend themselves where considered appropriate and to have a voice. Read more

Parent's Resources

Parenting can be one of the most challenging and rewarding roles in life. When domestic abuse is added to the equation, it can seem even harder as this is impacting on your children as well. Asking for help is a strength, there are a lot of methods that can assist in easing the pressure. Our Children & Young People's Support Workers can work with you to offer practical parenting support and advice during your stay in refuge accommodation. Read more

What happens when you are ready to move?

As with arrival, leaving can be a daunting time. To try an ease the anxiety, we are able to assist you in preparing your children for the move. This can be through a number of ways:- Read more

What to expect when you arrive at the Refuge

Arriving at the Refuge can be an emotional rollercoaster, however with the welcoming staff available to support you, hopefully the anxiety will ease. Read more

Latest

Ask for ANI scheme

This is a new scheme created by the government to try and help victims of domestic abuse in lockdown. ANI stands for 'Action Needed Immediately' and if asked to a member of staff in a pharmacy, help will be given.
A Story from a Survivor

I had to leave as a duty of care to my children and for the fact I couldn’t take anymore and believed I was insane. I went to the council for help and they put me in touch with Next Chapter. Amber was my first support worker and she was the light in a terribly dark time. I doubted myself often as emotional abuse is so hard to prove and is so subjective. But she was with me the whole time when I eventually managed to move out.
New Year ... New You?

A few months ago, there was a serious incident whereby the police were called, the abuser was taken into custody. Dawn was relieved but at the same time terrified of what the implications would now mean for her and the kids. Thankfully, Dawn was referred to our services by the Police Officer who had attended that night. Dawn knew deep down that she had no choice but to face this now, head on, she was sooooo brave in doing so.
12 Days of Success

One of my real highs was with a client who had endured abuse for 18 years, to ensure her safety and anonymity, I will be calling her Rebecca. Rebecca’s abuse took the form of coercive control, isolation from friends and family, manipulation, and physical abuse. She had already taken a major step in her journey before coming into our service, by splitting up with her perpetrator. The outstanding abuse and issues that needed to be resolved mainly occurred through child contact, which is sadly the

How to move forward from loss and grief

These are all perfectly natural feelings and reactions to loss and grief and some may even compare it to a bereavement. Even if you don’t feel that way at all you may have been left feeling empty and confused or angry. We might constantly be bargaining with ourselves still or find that depression has taken over. We all deal with loss in our own individual ways and this is what makes each of us so unique. This is perfectly normal too.
How does domestic abuse differ in other cultures?

The actions of individuals are influenced by the norms, values, language, and other cultural factors that are like the dust in the air that surrounds everyone. These cultural factors are ingrained in us from the day we are born, and can play a role in either ending or perpetuating domestic abuse.
Special Place in the Home

So, you survived Monday! Well done. One of the things that I am really missing is seeing my friends and family – we know that ‘being connected’ is really important for our mental health and emotional wellbeing. Having close positive relationships gives us a purpose and a sense of belonging. During this lockdown many of the ways we are usually connected to people – friends, family, work colleagues, school chums – have changed beyond all recognition.
The Role of an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor

So, imagine for a moment that you’ve summoned up the courage to finally leave, you’re feeling vulnerable and afraid and understandably really nervous about what the future might hold –you have to try and find your way through all that…. that's if you even knew half of it existed in the first place or where and how to start to getting in touch with them… So that's where we IDVA’S come in.
Safety begins at home.....?

We know from speaking to our clients, that the lockdown has meant that some perpetrators may not be able to feed their addictions, or they may be over feeding their addictions due to boredom or frustration and this in turn will be affecting their mental health. There is so much research about the dangerous cocktail of this ‘toxic trio’ (the combination of domestic abuse, substance misuse and mental health issues) as it leads to emotions being intensified which in turn drives behaviours.
Covid-19 - what are we doing?

As part of our commitment to individuals experiencing domestic abuse and their families who are worried about them - we’re doing our very best to make sure that we are always available to respond and help. Your safety and wellbeing is of paramount importance to us and we are prioritising our services in relation to safety and support above everything else.
Me, Myself and Abuser….

Slowly I started to realised that this would never change. That my prince charming doesn’t exist, it was just a mask and a trap to lure me in. I started looking for a way out. I couldn’t tell my friends and family the truth, they would judge me. They would ask me questions like “why didn’t you leave before?”, “why did you stay?” and “why did you have a baby with him?”. They would never understand that the hope my prince charming would return was stronger that any rational thinking.
Help in an emergency

What to do in an emergency. If you think that you are in immediate danger then you need to call 999 for the police.
What does Christmas mean to you?

Many of my clients talk to me about the fear of not creating the ‘perfect’ Christmas for their families, especially if there is ongoing domestic abuse. There is dread of Christmas not going to plan and believing it will be their fault and they will be blamed. My advice is clear, Christmas is one day and does not have to be perfect. Taking on the responsibility to make everything picture-perfect, is an impossible task. You are responsible for yourself and your children.
IDVA’s in lockdown

The IDVA team understands the impact lockdown has had and the additional difficulties, this has for our victims/survivors of domestic abuse for we all continue to break down these barriers and continue to be innovative in how we offer our support.