It is now well established that domestic abuse is one of the most damaging things a child can experience growing up.
It can impact their relationship with parents, friends and themselves in a way that can irreversibly affect the rest of the rest of their lives if they are not given support.
Last week, we shared the experiences of one 10-year-old schoolgirl growing up in the west of Scotland, who illustrated the years of domestic abuse she had witnessed against her mum in a series of devastatingly simple drawings.
She was able to process what had happened and express her feelings about it in a way that even adults would find hard. The reason? She had received first-class support from specialist workers at the Children Experiencing Domestic Abuse Recovery (CEDAR) project – specifically designed to help young people like her, from as young as four.
It is devastating, therefore, to see that the exact programme that helped her is facing the axe, having failed to secure funding from next year. The service has an 8-week waiting list, with dozens more children in need of help. If the service shuts, they will be left without the vital help they need.
While it is welcoming to see the Scottish Government, police, education services and the NHS taking a more trauma-informed approach when it comes to children’s welfare, these cannot be empty promises and tokenistic phrases which aren’t followed through with concrete funding for services on the ground.
We have to ensure our most vulnerable children are given the support they need, when they need it, as they are the future of our country.
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