Supporting Children and Young People
Women’s Aid is committed to ending domestic abuse and we will not stop until women and children are safe.
In 2021 we successfully campaigned alongside survivors and activists for the government to acknowledge the impact of abuse on children and to legally recognise children as victims in their own right, in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
Despite this, children’s safety is still threatened across multiple levels and too often they do not have access to the support they need. We will continue campaigning to see meaningful change to protect and empower children and young people, and to build a future free from abuse.
Below are the campaigns and projects that Women’s Aid have developed to lead this work and how you can support.
How are we supporting children and young people?
Protecting children from abusive perpetrators
Domestic Abuse Act 2021
Campaigning by survivors, activists and Women’s Aid secured many vital changes to the Act. A key change being that children were recognised as “victims in their own right”, meaning children are survivors, rather than just witnesses of abuse.
No Woman Turned Away
The No Woman Turned Away project supports women and their children fleeing domestic abuse, who face barriers when trying to access a safe refuge.
A team of specialist domestic abuse practitioners responds to referrals from VAWG organisations and offer personalised support to survivors of domestic abuse in their search for a safe space to live. This includes refuge searches and liaising with other professionals.
Advocating for children to be protected in wider society and within the institutions designed to keep them safe
Family Justice
Women’s Aid has been campaigning tirelessly for over 20 years to ensure that children’s safety is prioritised in the family courts. Publishing reports and running campaigns to highlight the failings of the justice system in protecting children.
Child First
Our Child First campaign started in 2016 and calls on the government and all family courts agencies to make the family court process safer for women and children survivors of domestic abuse. We want an end to avoidable child deaths as a result of unsafe child contact with dangerous perpetrators of domestic abuse.
Hear Them or Grieve Them campaign
In 2016 we published our Nineteen Child Homicides report and nearly a decade on we published a second report: Nineteen More Child Homicides. This research found that in the last 30 years, 67 children have been killed by a parent who was also a perpetrator of domestic abuse, in circumstances relating to unsafe child contact. Our ‘Hear Them or Grieve Them’ campaign shines a light on the lost lives of these children and asks the government to hear children’s voices and protect them from unsafe family court practices.
Presumption of parental involvement
After a decade-long campaign by Women’s Aid, our survivor ambassador Claire Throssell MBE, and countless survivors, are delighted the government has finally made the historic decision to repeal the legal presumption of parental involvement. This is a major campaign win which will help save lives and gets us one step closer on our mission to keep women and children safe. Now we’ve got commitment to changed the law, we’re calling for a whole-system approach to centre children’s voices in the courts, and beyond.
Calling for dedicated funding to be given to the services protecting children
The Monster Who Came To Tea
In 2025 Women’s Aid launched a sobering children’s book the ‘Monster Who Came to Tea’ calling on the Government to improve government funding does not reflect the reality of domestic abuse, leaving vital services struggling to meet the needs of women and their children without any dedicated funding.
Building a future free from abuse
Women’s Aid is leading the way in creating a society free from abuse for future generations. We run a range of projects focused on preventing abuse and support platforms for young people as they navigate their own relationships.
LoveRespect
Love Respect is a Women’s Aid website for 14-24 year olds that gives information on what a healthy and unhealthy relationship is, so you can spot the signs for yourself.
Expect Respect
Expect Respect is a free training programme we offer to schools and universities to educate young people about unhealthy relationships.
Reach Respect
The Reach Respect Program is part of our Expect Respect initiative, offering free training sessions tailored for university students across the UK.
How you can be a part of our campaigning
Donate
Donate to Women’s Aid to support our work protecting children and building futures free from abuse. Donate now.
Sign Up
Sign up to join the movement to protect children and young people and build a future free from abuse.
Partnerships
If you work for a company or business and would like to know more about how you can support, you can email [email protected]
If you need support
If you need support, please reach out to Women’s Aid. If you are in immediate danger, please contact 999 and if you can’t speak 999-55.
Survivors’ Forum
The Forum is a safe, anonymous, space for women (over 18) who have been affected by domestic abuse to share their experiences and support one another.
The Survivors’ Handbook
This resource provides practical support and information for if you are experiencing domestic abuse, it includes simple guidance on every aspect of seeking support.
Children and Young People support
If you’re a young person and need support, go to our Love Respect website where you can take the healthy relationships quiz or find age specific advice.
Support for Parents
If you are a parent and are worried about your children, you can find support through our Survivor’s Handbook as well as our Friends and Family resource.
