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Experiences of child and adolescent to parent violence during lockdown

Rachel Condry and colleagues from the University of Oxford, has produced a fast evidence base on experiences of child and adolescent to parent violence (C/APV) through first-hand accounts from parents and the views of experts and practitioners working directly with families during the first months of the Covid-19 lockdown in the UK (April - June 2020).

The review considers:

  • what the impact of the pandemic and government restrictions has been on families and on the violence and abuse
  • what support has been available to families during this time, and
  • what measures might be put in place to protect families and address their needs, both during government restrictions and when those restrictions are eased.

This report draws upon the findings of online surveys of 104 parents who have experiences C/APV from their child aged 10-19 years and 47 practitioners who work with families experiencing C/APV. It also draws upon conversations and emails with policy leads and a Freedom of Information Request to all 43 police forces across England and Wales, asking for their total numbers of reported C/APV incidents over the one-year period from 1st April 2019 to 31st May 2020.

The analysis revealed:

  • 70% of parents reported an increase in violent episodes during lockdown.
  • 69% of practitioners said they had seen an increase in referrals for families experiencing C/APV
  • 64% of practitioners identified that the severity or incidence of violence had increased
  • 29% of parents identified a decline in C/APV during the lockdown period which was explained by a reduction in the stresses and triggers for violence in this period. However, both practitioners and parents were very concerned for this group of families who might experience more severe problems when the pressures of everyday life return

Click here to read more and download: Experiences of Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence in the Covid-19 Pandemic (August 2020).


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