Recovering from Domestic Abuse, Strengthening the Mother–Child Relationship: Mothers' and Children's Perspectives of a New Intervention

Abstract

Domestic Abuse: Recovering Together (DART) is a 10-week programme that supports families who have experienced domestic abuse. It focuses on strengthening the mother–child relationship and helps with other aspects of their recovery from the experience of abuse. As part of a mixed-method evaluation, interviews were conducted with mothers and children following their attendance at DART. The interim findings are reported in this paper. Mothers and children interviewed were, on the whole, positive about DART and felt it had helped their recovery and relationship with one another. Elements identified that facilitated the programme included: activities that helped participants to deal with difficult feelings related to the abuse; sessions where mothers and children worked together, which helped to improve their relationship; and supportive staff and peers who enabled participants to feel less alone. Some aspects of the programme, such as re-living painful memories, were described as distressing. However, participants believed it was important to address these experiences as part of their recovery process. There were instances of mothers resuming relationships with the perpetrator for a short period following the programme, which had a detrimental impact on their child's behaviour. However, some mothers asserted that the programme convinced them never to return to an abusive relationship.

Notes

1. The NSPCC Research Ethics Committee includes members from senior NSPCC staff and external professional experts. The ethics governance procedure is in line with the requirements of the Economic and Social Research Council and Government Social Research Unit Research Ethics Frameworks.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Emma McManus

Ms Emma McManus is Senior Evaluation Officer at NSPCC

Emma Belton

Ms Emma Belton is Senior Evaluation Officer at NSPCC

Matt Barnard

Mr Matt Barnard is Head of Evaluation Department at NSPCC

Richard Cotmore

Dr Richard Cotmore is Associate Head of Evaluation Department at NSPCC

Julie Taylor

Professor Julie Taylor is Head of Strategy and Development (Physical Abuse in High Risk Families) at NSPCC