Kids Who See Domestic Abuse To Get Help

29 April 2019, 11:21 | Updated: 29 April 2019, 11:22

A scheme to help school children who witness or are victim to domestic abuse is rolled out across Lancashire from today.

Operation Encompass will see the county's police pass information to schools, so the youngsters can be given some support in and out the classroom.

Det. Supt Joanne McHugh, who is coordinating the initiative for Lancashire Police, said: “We know that there are damaging, long-term effects for children who live in homes where domestic abuse takes place. They are often the ‘hidden’ victims and their voices don’t always get heard.

“We also know that the police are generally not called after one domestic abuse incident – in fact statistics show on average we aren’t made aware until several incidents have already taken place, many of which may have been witnessed by children. This is why it is imperative that we seize every opportunity to make sure those children are offered the necessary support.

“At Lancashire Police our primary aim is to keep our residents safe and feeling safe, and we hope this shows our commitment to doing just that. Op Encompass is a very simple but very effective scheme which will help safeguard some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.”

A pilot scheme will be rolled out in some areas of Lancashire from today. The operation will go force-wide from Tuesday, May 7th.

As a result it will become standard procedure when dealing with a domestic abuse incident that could involve children for an alert to be sent to their school immediately. The school will then be able to put its own measures into place as soon as the child or children next attend.

Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw said: "We know that over 90% of domestic violence incidents are witnessed by children so I am really pleased to see Operation Encompass rolled out across Lancashire.

“To support schools in dealing with the alerts they will receive, I have commissioned a set of resources to help support students that have witnessed or experienced domestic abuse. This will allow schools to provide immediate support to students to help them cope with their experiences.

"Young people who require further emotional support can be referred to Nest Lancashire, the service I set up to support anyone under 18 who has experienced or witnessed any type of crime including domestic abuse. Making sure that our young people receive help and support at the earliest opportunity is so important. No child should have to deal with emotional trauma by themselves and Operation Encompass will make sure that we don't miss an opportunity to provide the help they might need.”

Siobhan Collingwood, who is head teacher of Morecambe Bay Community Primary School, and who has worked closely with Lancashire Police to bring this scheme to Lancashire, said: “I’m pleased to have been part of this initiative and to have seen it come to fruition.

“We are delighted that due to this schools will be able to ensure children and young people who have experienced the emotional trauma of domestic abuse will be cared for and supported by school the next day. Using the materials provided, school staff will be able to be part of a support package that ensures vulnerable children recover from their experiences and are able to fulfil their true potential.”