What support needs do parents have when children are violent towards them?

This research will build on previous ESRC-funded research by Dr Rachel
Condry in the context of increased public awareness of adolescent-on-parent
violence (ESRC, 2016) .It will specifically extend her findings to investigate
experiences of, and services for, families living with child-on-parent violence
(CPV) involving younger children, where there is a relative absence of reliable
evidence or supporting policy and guidance in the UK: There is international
evidence that children first start presenting with violent behaviours aged 2-4
(Sheehan, 1997), CPV is prominent in the age group 2-11 (Thornley & Coates,
2018), and it actually declines in adolescence (Ulman & Straus, 2003). The
hidden plight of families living with CPV is often due to parents fearing blame,
stigma, or the consequences of statutory involvement (Williams et al, 2017;
Gallagher, 2015; Selwyn & Meakings, 2015; Goddard, 2018; Wilcox et al,
2015). This study will adopt a qualitative, interpretivist investigative strategy to
enhance our understanding of CPV and its impact, regarding children aged 4-
11. Distinctive methodological approaches will explore three different but interrelated
perspectives: those of parents, practitioners, and children presenting as
violent. Parents will be supported to explore their experiences through
narrative inquiry; practitioner perspectives will be explored through the Delphi
model and use of vignettes; children will be supported to explore their
perspectives through visual methods. The primary findings will be subject two
complex integrative analysis. This research will additionally provide
recommendations for supporting families living with CPV, develop guidance for
direct work with children presenting with violent behaviours, and promote
awareness of the experiences of families with young children living with CPV.