Domestic Abuse Victims Must Be Helped

Prime minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown has been urged to help children across the country affected by domestic violence by backing more schemes like a pioneering project in Norwich.

Norwich-based Kids Without Fear is a centre run by the NSPCC which offers support and assistance to children and adults affected by domestic abuse. The charity has urged Mr Brown to make the issue a leading one on his agenda, in particular providing funding for more such centres in Britain.

The calls come as part of the charity’s Don’t Hide It campaign, aimed at encouraging children to speak out about abuse and violence in their homes. Kay Warbrick, children’s services manager at NSPCC Norfolk, said: “Children’s services are still struggling for funding in this country, and to continue our work, particularly with children coping with domestic violence, we need more government support.

“At the Kids Without Fear project we take families who have been victims of domestic violence, because often the mother will need our help as well. We usually talk to families after the person who was violent has left the home. We can then talk to the children about the effects that the violence has had on their lives and to the parents about the effect on the children.”

The NSPCC has also launched a Respectful relationships scheme in schools to teach children of all ages about how to maintain a healthy relationship.