A lot of general information about this issue, including detail on how you could practically offer support to children, has been given elsewhere in this website. › Read more on the ENCARE main site 

This area of the website will give specific information about UK guidance available on this topic and also on UK specific services. Note that we have been somewhat selective as it is not possible to give details of every single service or resource that is available.

Whatever your job your first port of call for information should probably be the Home Office’s Website for Domestic Violence or the UK Women’s Aid website - there are links for sister websites for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The Women’s Aid website is an excellent central resource for all sorts of guidance and information for yourself and also for children and families. Some other useful resources include:

• Women’s Aid ‘Survivor’s Handbook (available through the Women’s Aid website) offers detailed guidance on how to help an adult or a child to develop a safety plan.
• ‘The Hideout’, is a UK website aimed specifically at children living with domestic abuse.
• The Home Office has also produced some useful guidelines  [pdf] on providing support to children who have witnessed domestic violence.
• The Mayor of London’s Office has produced a leaflet for the family and friends of those who are experiencing domestic violence [pdf].
• There are various examples of local guidance. Following such guidance will be of particular relevance to those professionals who are working more directly and intensively with children affected by domestic abuse. However, some of the guidance will contain useful ideas on what you could do to help. Knowing that such guidance is available in your area may also give ideas of who to contact for further advice and information. Examples of such guidance include: 
  
  a. London Child Protection Committee (2006) [now London Safeguarding Children Boards]; ‘Safeguarding Children Abused through Domestic Violence’. 
  
  b. London Local Government Association (2006). ‘Vision for services for children and young people affected by domestic violence’. Guidance to local commissioners of children’s services to ensure an appropriate multi-agency response.  
  
  c. Sheffield Safeguarding Children Board (2006). ‘Safeguarding Children & Young People Affected by Domestic Abuse. Inter-agency Protocol and Practice Guidance’.  

An inevitable area of concern for those working in this area, or keen to support children, is that of risk assessment. Many of the examples of guidance given here [see above] address this issue. Some work in this area has also been done by Barnardos in Northern Ireland (Hopkins, 2006).

Based on a Canadian model, the Northern Irish adaptation identifies nine areas to address when considering risk - Nature of the abuse; Perpetrator risk to children; Risks of lethality; Pattern of the assault and other associated behaviours; Impact of abuse on women; Impact of abuse on children; Impact of abuse on parenting roles and relationships; Protective factors; and Outcomes of previous help-seeking by the mother. The model also includes threshold scales to further aid the assessment of risk as well as exploring risk factors, potential vulnerabilities and protective factors.

The response to domestic violence/abuse is high on national and local agendas with many emerging developments having a crucial role to play. For example:

• MARACS (piloted in Wales) - Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference – where professionals from a range of services share information and jointly plan the response to high risk offenders and their victims. Evaluation of the MARAC system in Wales found that it tended to function for the very high risk cases, but that through this the MARAC performed an important function in “preventing re-victimisation and highlighting the needs of children and women” (Humphreys, 2006 p365).
• Specialist domestic violence courts. SDVCs are a fundamental part of the government's efforts to improve the support and care we provide for victims of domestic violence. A multi-agency approach is central to the success of these innovative courts; police, prosecutors court staff, the probation service and specialist support services work together to identify, track and risk assess domestic violence cases, support victims and share information so that more offenders are brought to justice. In a review of the first 23 SDVC systems, published on 8 March, it is clear that they have contributed to improvements in both justice and safety for domestic violence victims. Ten of those achieved a successful prosecution rate of over 70 per cent, with one reaching over 80 per cent and the remaining 12 achieving an average rate of 66 per cent. Also high numbers of victims referred for further support (unclear how many are children). Following this review more than 30 additional courts to be introduced, bringing total to nearly 100. 
• The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is at the heart of the Government’s children’s agenda and the delivery of integrated frontline services that are focused on the needs of children and young people. The CAF is a standardised approach to conducting an assessment of a child's needs, allowing for appropriate and swift decisions to be taken on how identified needs should be met. There is opportunity within the CAF to consider, amongst other things, the presence and impact of thinks like alcohol misuse and domestic abuse.
• For many children who are affected by domestic abuse it is very likely that they and they family will at some point need to engage with the Family Court System. Cafcass is an organisation which “looks after the interests of children involved in family proceedings”. There is a helpful series of general leaflets written and designed for children about elements of the work of Cafcass. Cafcass has also published a specific policy for services for children living with domestic violence. 
• A new GP Toolkit to provide clear guidance on identification and appropriate referral to safeguard children at risk. Given the high numbers of children affected by parental alcohol misuse and/or parental domestic abuse, this Toolkit is of relevance.