Virtual Reality - Domestic Abuse Through the Eyes of the Child

16th October 2025, 9am - 4pm - Shipman Youth Zone and Family Hub

Course Overview

Home is a place which should be safe and secure, but can instead be a source of fear or terror. Domestic abuse is a safeguarding issue. The impact of growing up in a household with domestic abuse has far-reaching consequences for children and society. The learning from practice reviews highlights that professionals need to understand the dynamics of domestic abuse and the effect it can have on children.
In England & Wales, the Adoption & Children Act 2002 amended the definition of significant harm provided by the Children Act 1989, adding a new category of ‘impairment suffered from seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another’. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 stipulates that a child who sees, hears or experiences the effects of domestic abuse, and is related to the person being abused or the person perpetrating the abuse, is also regarded as a victim of domestic abuse for the purposes of the Act.

Learning objectives
• Gain an understanding of the complex nature of domestic abuse.
• Understand the difference between Parental Conflict and Domestic Abuse
• Improve knowledge on the impact of domestic abuse on children, looking at how trauma impacts on child development.
• Exploring perceptions of gender in domestic abuse
• Learning from Safeguarding Practice Reviews, exploring the importance of assessing families, pre-birth assessments, engagement with services, histories of violence, triggers for violent incidents and parental mental health problems.
• Assessing risk and the importance of seeing the bigger picture, understanding relationships within the family.
• What helps when supporting children and young people when dealing with trauma of domestic abuse?
Programme