Mayor of London Sadiq Khan today called for a ‘joined-up approach’ to tackle domestic abuse carried out by children against their parents.

New research into Child/Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse (CAPVA), commissioned by London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), found that at least 40% of parents or carers who experienced violence by their children in the capital between 2011 and 2020 refused to report it.

However, Ecorys, who carried out the research, shows the scale of the issue is likely to be much greater than reported figures suggest.

The report also warned that a lack of awareness amongst parents, carers, young people and even professionals about CAPVA, led to an inconsistent and patchwork provision of support available for families and a lack of understanding about how to access it.

‘I’m determined to tackle all forms of violence in our capital and keeping Londoners safe will always be my top priority,’ said Mayor Khan.

‘That’s why I welcome this major new research commissioned by my Violence Reduction Unit, which shines a light on a form of hidden harm.

‘It’s crucial we have a joined-up approach to tackling this issue because I want all Londoners, including parents and carers, to have confidence in reporting concerns so that services can intervene much earlier and provide the support families need and deserve.’

The research also found that the majority of CAPVA cases involve boys in late adolescence and their mothers, and is most likely to be physical violence.

The number of reported incidences fell after 2018, but began rising slightly during the first national lockdown from March-June 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commenting on the research, Jane Griffiths, director and lead practitioner at Capa First Response CiC, said: ‘The term “Child to Parent Abuse” is something more and more families are becoming familiar with. Although many people are unfamiliar with this, worryingly for many families it is their children that are using violent and abusive behaviour in the home directed at parents or caregivers.

‘Spitting, hitting, name calling, destroying property, threats of violence - not only towards a parent but directed at siblings or themselves, causing parents to tread on eggshells, change how they parent for fear of what may happen, or to be frightened by their child.

‘Parents feel huge shame around this behaviour; they feel judged and blamed for how their child behaves towards them. It is a hugely isolating issue, with parents feeling unable to talk about what is happening or seek support.’