Needs of children exposed to family violence not being recognised - new findings shine a light on at risk group
Source: Superu
EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00am, Tuesday 13 June 2017
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Released today, 'What works for children exposed to family violence?' brings together evidence about the best
interventions which make a positive difference to these children’s lives.
The main revelation of this paper is that the harm caused by family violence exposure is just as harmful as the harm
caused by direct abuse. ‘Exposure’ to family violence is damaging no matter whether the child sees, hears, is directly
involved, or experiences the aftermath of violence in their family.
This release shines a light on a group of children who need more support from the social sector systems. These children
are being exposed to family violence; however, because they are not suffering from physical abuse there are too few
pathways for them to seek support, and the supportive services we do have on offer are not catering for the needs of
this group of children.
Superu Chief Executive, Clare Ward says "Our current response to providing support to these children is targeted only at
the ones who are direct victims of physical abuse, but not for the ones who experience family violence in other ways."
"Attention should be turned to intervention at the earliest stages as that’s when the child’s outcomes are most likely
to be improved. The younger the child, the greater the potential harm"
"Changes must be made at the policy level, to provide more resourcing to address this issue" Ward added. "We need more
evidence in the New Zealand context about this issue."
"Interventions should have the right cultural fit for the child, as well as catering for children of different ages and
with different experiences."
This research aims to be useful for those people who develop policy or run support services for these children to keep
themselves safe. Superu’s ‘What Works’ synthesis products answer complex questions on specific social issues and add to
the evidence-base.
ENDS
About Superu - The Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (Superu) is the operating name for the Families
Commission. Our purpose is to increase the use of evidence by people across the social sector so that they can make
better decisions - about funding, policies or services - to improve the lives of families and whānau.
ENDS