News & Blog
Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse CAPVA-Recognise and Respond - A 1 Day Online Course 17th January 2025
This course explains why CAPVA happens, what the risk factors are and what practitioners can do if they suspect a parent is being abused. This course will cover appropriate safeguarding responses and help practitioners navigate the complexities of an issue that straddles both adult and children’s services. For more information contact yps@respect.org.uk
Respect Young People’s Programme (RYPP) 4 Day Online Course on 24th and 25th Feb and 3rd and 4thMarch 2025
The RYPP is an evidence based, whole family intervention designed to help families heal from CAPVA (Child/ Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse). The intervention follows the trauma recovery model, establishing a foundation of safety in the home first. to allowing guided relationship building between parent and child to take place. If you would like to know more contact the team yps@respect.org.uk or click here for more info Respect Young People's Programme | Respect
Delivering RYPP with Neurodivergent Young People -A 1 Day Online Course on 13th Feb 2025
This 1 day course provides further support to RYPP practitioners delivering the RYPP to neurodivergent young people. Each participant receives a resource pack with additional content designed to increase understanding and engagement. To be eligible for this course practitioners must have completed the 4 day RYPP training previously. For more info contact the team at yps@respect.org.uk or click here to book your place [insert link here]
Trauma Informed! Building Skills in Emotional Identification and Regulation - A 2 Day Online Course on 26th and 27th March 2025.
This toolkit provides 1:1 exercises for young people who need help to regulate their emotions to prevent violent outbursts. This toolkit was designed for young people who are neurodivergent and/ or trauma affected. The toolkit includes methods for developing stronger mind and body connection as well as techniques to soothe strong emotions. Includes colour manual and video resources. For more information contact yps@respect.org.uk
Dating Detox – a 4 Day Online Course on 13th, 14th, 20th and 21st March 2025
Designed to help young people navigate romantic relationships more safely, The toolkit is split into 3 sections – Safety/ Healthy Relationships/ Behaviour Change. It’s unique in that it address teen relationship abuse from 2 angles. First - helping young people avoid abusive relationships by increasing awareness and second by helping young people using harm. to stop. For more information or to book contact yps@respect.org.uk or click here for further details Dating Detox | Respect
Many people have never heard of Child and Adolescent-to-Parent Violence and Abuse (CAPVA), which contributes to the difficulty surrounding this issue. CAPVA is underreported, often misunderstood, and can leave families feeling isolated. Recently, Closer magazine took a bold step by featuring a story from a mother who bravely shared her experience of CAPVA. Her account, though difficult to read, highlights a positive journey of transformation, as she and her daughter successfully rebuilt their relationship with support from TLC and the Respect UK Young People's Programme.
In a LinkedIn post acknowledging the article, Bradley O'Donoghue, Domestic Abuse Senior Service Manager, emphasises the importance of raising awareness about CAPVA. As he explains in Closer, “It’s important people experiencing CAPVA know that help is available.” This message underlines the essential support available for families struggling with CAPVA and the value of ensuring that they are not left to face this situation alone.
For those who would like to know more, a copy of the latest edition of Closer magazine provides a deeper look into the story and the resources that made a difference. CAPVA is a sensitive topic, and awareness is a powerful first step toward connecting families with the support they need.
Sharing knowledge on CAPVA is crucial. If this post resonates or could benefit someone you know, sharing it may help others learn about CAPVA and the resources like Respect UK that are available for those affected.
For Child to Parent Abuse (CPA) Awareness Day, we are sharing preliminary key themes and recommendations from our upcoming report, "Nowhere to Turn: Lessons from Families Affected by Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse (CAPVA)". The full report will provide an analysis of the responses from our recent survey, answered by families and parents who have experienced CAPVA.
These early findings shed light on the experiences of families dealing with CAPVA and point to early recommendations for change. Families have spoken about the challenges they face, which highlight the need for better guidance, funding, and training for practitioners and agencies.
Download an accessible version
The Respect Young People’s Service will be launching the full report and presenting the findings at a national webinar, coming this winter. Further details will be announced here and on Respect’s social media.
We are pleased to be featured in an article by Children & Young People Now, which highlights our innovative family approach to tackling child-to-parent violence. This piece explores the collaborative efforts and supportive interventions we employ to address this issue, focusing on restoring harmony and respect within families. It showcases practical solutions and success stories from our programme aimed at mitigating such violence and promoting healthier family dynamics.
Read the full article here: Family Approach Tackles Child-to-Parent Violence
Here at RYPS, the team have been very busy responding to your concerns and suggestions about RYPP delivery with specific cohorts of children, young people and families. We now have two new training courses on offer for existing RYPP providers/practitioners only.
Building Skills
Building Skills is a 2-day online training course specifically designed for young people who struggle to manage their emotions because they are neurodivergent or trauma experienced. The development of the training was informed by learning from City of York Council Educational Psychology Department and research conducted by Dartington Design Lab in 2020.
Dates: 21st and 22nd October 2024
Time: 9.30 – 4pm
Cost: £190.00pp plus VAT
There is a reduction for group bookings please email respectypstraining@respect.org.uk for a quote.
Neurodiversity one day Workshop
This workshop aims to build the confidence of practitioners delivering the RYPP and provide ways to adapt the programme to better meet the needs of neurodiverse young people. It includes a resource pack of practical tools and activities to use. The development of the training was informed by learning from City of York Council Educational Psychology Department and research conducted by Dartington Design Lab in 2020.
Dates: 7th October 2024
Time: 9.30 – 4pm
Cost: £95.00pp plus VAT there is a reduction for group bookings please email respectypstraining@respect.org.uk for a quote.
In addition
Don’t forget we have the Introduction to Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse (CAPVA) (respect.org.uk) self-paced interactive online training. It is rolling access so people can book on anytime through the link above.
Cost:
- £75.00pp plus VAT
- Respect Member organisation £45.00pp plus VAT
Respect Young People's Programme
We also have places on our Respect Young People's Programme | Respect (Online Zoom)
Date: September 2024
- Day 1: 19th
- Day 2: 20th
- Day 3: 25th
- Day 4: 26th
Cost:
- £875.00pp plus VAT with practice support
- £580.00pp plus VAT without practice support
Please contact respectypstraining@respect.org.uk if you require 4 places or more for a quote.
Dating Detox
Dating Detox | Respect Online Zoom
Date: November 2024
- Day 1: 19th
- Day 2: 20th
- Day 3: 26th
- Day 4: 27th
Cost: £895.00pp plus VAT.
Please contact respectypstraining@respect.org.uk if you require 4 places or more for a quote.
Wishing you a lovely summer. Please use the training inbox for any queries.
Respect's Young People's Service has launched a new resource, focusing on young people’s experiences of working with professionals: both positive and negative. The resource was created by a young people’s co-production group run by the Respect Young People’s Service and TLC: Talk Listen Change, with the aim of understanding the group’s thoughts and feelings about current service provision for children, young people and families affected by Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse (CAPVA).
Today Respect launches a landmark survey aiming to create a national picture of the public’s understanding and experiences of child and adolescent to parent violence and abuse, known as CAPVA.
CAPVA is used to describe the dynamic where a young person (8-18 years) engages in repeated abusive behaviour towards a parent or adult carer. It is known as a hidden harm: 40% of those experiencing CAPVA refuse to report it, often due to shame or out of fear their child will be criminalised, but prevalence is estimated to be high, with CAPVA-related offences representing 21-27% of cases within youth offending services.
The anonymous survey will explore adults’ and young people’s understanding of CAPVA, and - in cases where people have needed support related to the issue - we are asking them:
- whether they sought support
- if they didn’t seek support, what the reasons were
- if they did access support, how they would rate the effectiveness of that support
- how their experiences or identity impacted their help seeking
- whether they have any suggestions to improve things for people in their position.
The survey is now open for anyone aged 13+ based in the UK, and will close on 29 August at 5pm. We are particularly keen to reach adults and young people who have experience of CAPVA, so we can improve our services.
Amanda Flanagan, Young People's Service Development Manager, said,
“We know anecdotally that public awareness of CAPVA is low, and that for those experiencing this hidden harm, it can be hard to reach out and find the support they need. We want as many people as possible to take part in this survey, so that we can start to build an understanding of the British public’s knowledge and experiences of seeking help with CAPVA. By knowing more about people’s experiences we can better tailor our work to support people going through this with their families”
Today marks the launch of a new resource from the Respect Young People’s Service, which focuses on young people’s experiences of working with professionals, both positive and negative. The resource was created by a young people’s co-production group run by the Respect Young People’s Service and TLC: Talk Listen Change, with the aim of understanding the group’s thoughts and feelings about current service provision for children, young people and families affected by Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse (CAPVA).
We caught up with Amanda Flanagan, Young People's Service Development Manager, on the importance of taking a collaborative approach when developing services for young people.
Amanda, can you tell us a bit about coproduction and why it’s so important for our work with young people?
Coproduction is a simple concept: that a service will be more effective if it’s shaped and informed by the people who use it. In the Respect Young People’s Service, consulting young people tells us so much more than academic research alone: what works and what doesn’t, what young people like about our programmes and campaigns and what they don’t. It helps us better understand their needs, ensuring our sessions feel safe, relevant, and engaging. It also helps us address the power imbalance between professionals and young people, so we can build more trusting and respectful relationships with the young people we support. We start from the position that no group or person is more important than another and we can learn so much more from listening: everyone we consult has something to bring to the ongoing development of our programmes, campaigns and resources.
At Respect, equality, diversity and inclusion sit at the core of our coproduction work. We know that many of the young people we work with face systemic disadvantage. They come from a whole range of backgrounds, and hold a range of identities. We want our programmes to be flexible and responsive to the needs of every young person who needs support, so we are working closely with our partners and by-and-for organisations to adapt and develop our programmes. We can’t get this right on our own. We listen, we make adjustments and then ask, is this right? Is this what you were thinking? How can we make this better and or meaningful to you?
Aside from its direct impact on our service development, this coproduction work also helps us elevate young people’s voices at a national level – we want resources like this art project to influence the national conversation about responses to CAPVA, and access to services.
What does coproduction look like in practice?
Coproduction is more than the facilitation of a focus group or running a consultation . When done well, it is true partnership working, ensuring young people are involved from the start and at every step of a project. It is about ensuring accessibility for everyone who wants to take part and ensuring no-one is excluded. This may include providing additional support where needed to facilitate inclusion, and ensuring resources are factored in to support this.
Flexibility is absolutely key too. We can’t be too prescriptive about how young people are involved: they need to communicate and contribute in whatever way works for them. This could be through cofacilitation of project working groups, being involved in the design and planning of a project or service, allocating roles and resources, or the evaluation and reporting process.
It’s also important to recognise that taking part in coproduction work can involve a significant investment of time and effort from young people. We ensure that those who take part in coproduction projects for Respect receive recognition for their work.
What coproduction work has already taken place in the Respect Young People’s Service?
So far, we’ve worked with our partners and the young people they support to create resources for use in our programmes (including leaflets and PSHE resources), to critique our programme development plans, and to support research and national dialogue by sharing their stories.
Creating this art piece has been part of a wider project, supported by the Noel Buxton Trust, which focuses on improving practice and raising awareness of CAPVA on the national stage. We explored key themes with young people in a series of workshops, including:
- Reflections on the RYPP programme
- What makes a good/bad practitioner?
- Exploring how adults and education professionals perceive young people and CAPVA – specifically looking at them as ‘trouble children’
- Exploring a young person’s journey in relation to CAPVA and the programme, including moments of growth and challenge
How are you aiming to involve the voices of young people in the future?
We aim to include our coproduction groups at every stage of resource and service development. As we develop the service we need a critical eye that we can only get “honestly” by involving young people.
Learn more about our work to end child/adolescent to parent violence and abuse (CAPVA) here.
In these post pandemic times, it would be remiss to underestimate the lifeline that social media platforms can be, when physical proximity is not an option. The impact of the pandemic, especially for those living alone or clinically vulnerable would have been even more catastrophic in terms of mental health without these web-based platforms we use to share and connect.
Connection is important, simply put, as humans we need it. Connecting with others on a physical and emotional level can improve our health and overall well-being. For relatives and friends living apart it allows instant updates on important milestones like births, weddings, anniversaries and deaths. It allows us to gain new perspectives and insight from people we might never ordinarily meet and to become more aware of global issues in a way that was not possible before. It allows us to become aware of opportunities and link in with others to advance our careers, attend education. So social media with its ability to connect people across great geographical or cultural distance is surely a good thing, right?
Well, while there are definite benefits, there are problems too. In relation to teenagers there is a tendency to treat the online and offline world as seamless. What happens in one world is transferred to the other. Teenagers can no longer leave their problems at the proverbial or in this case literal door. Bullying and unwanted attention regularly cross over the threshold between school and home. At a time when maturing brains are most wired to take risks, strangers creep silently and invisibly through WIFI routers into teenage bedrooms.
Of further concern is the idea that social media can exacerbate mental health issues, this is particularly so for issues like self-harm or anorexia. Part of the way in which this happens is via what is termed as algorithmic radicalisation. Social media platforms are designed to keep eyes on screen so what you look at directly influences the types of material you are shown. For example, if a young person searches ‘shape-wear’ or healthy eating, they’ll be shown more and more media content of the same kind to encourage continued use. The same will happen if a young person is curious about self-harm, if they search around this, they will then see more images relating to this ‘interest’. It’s not difficult to see how repeated exposure to content around body image or self-harm could contribute to a young person developing a ‘radicalised’ position on such issues.
Social media, however, is here to stay and it is also beneficial in some important ways. So, if prohibition is not the answer, what is? How do we help the young people in our care take what is good from social media and the online world and circumvent that which will do them harm?
Educating young people about online harm is important and forms part of our work in the Dating Detox (see Session 6), but it’s not the only approach. Teaching young people to have good self esteem and healthy boundaries is also vital to protecting them from harm. Helping young people to set boundaries around themselves is an important part of helping them to protect themselves physically and emotionally. This is an important skill both on and offline. The internet and social media are neither inherently good nor bad, they are tools however, that can be used by those that wish to exploit others.
Unfortunately, those most vulnerable to exploitation are young people who have grown up in a family of origin where sense of self is eroded, choices are not allowed, and boundaries have been violated. While the blame should always squarely and firmly lie with the perpetrators, we can help young people strengthen their defences. Encouraging young people to speak up when something is not ok with them, modelling to young people that you will listen when they say no to things or when something makes them feel uncomfortable. All these things help them to build trust in themselves and encourage and a sense of identity and self that is strong enough to know when something does not feel right. By creating a relationship in which the young person feels respected by you and trusts that you value their rights as an individual you also increase the possibility, they will speak to you about things that are troubling them, knowing that you will seek to advocate for their choices as much as safety will allow. If you’re interested in finding out more and have access to Dating Detox you can find more about boundary setting in Session 3 of the toolkit.