By A study has reported a ‘significant increase’ in child-to-parent violence during lockdown.
Early in the lockdown, Oxford Professor of Criminology, Rachel Condry, and Dr Caroline Miles, a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Manchester, launched a study among families who had been experiencing violence from their children.
The results of that report have now been released, and show that a shocking 70% of parents who experience child and adolescent to parent violence saw an increase in violent episodes during lockdown.
In addition to the data collected on that report, more than two thirds of social work professionals are also reporting an increase of violent episodes.
Parents surveyed believe that lockdown pressures had made the violence problem worse. They believe that the lack of support available during lockdown, combined with the restrictions imposed, such as being confined at home with the young person, have contributed to making their situations almost unbearable.
The experts agree.
The report, based on the study of Rachel Condry, and Dr Caroline Miles, found ‘a situation in crisis’. They found that the number of child-on-parent violence episodes during the pandemic increased by:
- 70% in families;
- 69% of practitioners said they had seen an increase in referrals for families experiencing C/APV;
- 64% of practitioners said the severity or incidence of violence had increased.
In addition, during lockdown, when many families needed more help than ever, services to support these families were only delivered support remotely. This type of service takes longer to organise, and is much harder to undertake effectively.
In addition, studies showed that because of the pandemic, parents were actually more reluctant to call for help. One parent explained,
“I wouldn’t want to call the police as the danger is far greater from the virus…he would be vulnerable in police cell…Before it was hard enough to call the police thinking of the usual consequences, but you could be potentially sentencing your child to death by reporting violence.”
Regarding this, Dr Miles explains,
“It is important to bear in mind that many children who are violent towards their parents have safeguarding needs of their own – many, although not all, violent children have experienced trauma of some kind themselves, and/or have mental health problems, learning difficulties, or additional needs. These children are likely to have found the lockdown especially challenging and may have lost much of their external support network.”
Professor Condry adds,
“Parents are often reluctant to report their child, fearing the consequences of criminalisation….and when they do seek help, it is often not forthcoming. Violence can be serious and sustained. Parents describe living in fear of their own child, often for years. It can range from criminal damage in the home and verbal abuse to some of the most serious forms. One mother told us her son ‘beat me so badly that if the police did not come when they did, I would not be alive.”
The academics sent Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to all 43 police forces across England and Wales, asking for their total numbers of reported C/APV incidents.
Nineteen forces who responded showed that, in some forces, there had been no marked change or even a slight decline in reported incidents of C/APV, reflecting parents’ reluctance to contact the police during lockdown. But, in at least five forces, there was a marked increase in reported incidents.
In a series of recommendations, the report by Rachel Condry, and Dr Caroline Miles, calls for increased planning and support from central government and local authorities, to prevent young people being criminalised and families being left to cope alone, if there is ever a return to lockdown.
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