Promoting the Voices of Children and Young People Who Have Experienced Domestic Abuse

This research was set within a local and national context of increasing reports of Domestic Abuse (DA) and legislation which positions children as ‘victims of DA’. A systemic literature review carried out to explore children and young people’s (CYP) experiences of DA revealed literature which involved CYP by interviewing them about their experiences of DA. The beneficence of this type of involvement was questioned and there were concerns about the misrepresentation of child voice due to adult interpretations of data. To address this research gap, emancipatory research was undertaken which invited children who have experienced domestic abuse (CEDA), to become involved as co-researchers to explore matters of importance to them. The research employed a participatory research (PR) approach to involve three children aged 10-12 years old, who proposed the research question “How can adults support children who have experienced abuse between parents, to express themselves?”. The co-researchers developed the interview schedule and semi-structured interviews were facilitated by the lead researcher. Data was analysed in collaboration with the coresearchers using Reflective Thematic Analysis. The findings suggest that CEDA have expectations about support being readily available and individualised based on their needs. There is an indication that trusting relationships with adults are key to CEDA being able to express themselves and that support is most effective when designed in collaboration with CEDA. The power threat meaning framework is used to interpret the findings and the researcher reflects on the strengths and limitations of the PR approach. Implications for EP practice and multi-disciplinary professionals are outlined, which focus on the importance of increasing the participation of CEDA in research and practice, to position them as autonomous, competent and capable.