Introduction

This chapter begins by exploring the help-seeking context of parent abuse, and asks what factors are important when assessing parent abuse prior to intervention work. It then examines a range of intervention programmes that have developed at the local level in response to the problem of parent abuse. It outlines both established group programmes (Breaking the Cycle, Who's in Charge?, Break4Change, SAAIF and Step-Up) and family intervention approaches (systemic family therapy, non-violent resistance and restorative justice conferences). Analysis draws on the theoretical approaches that inform these interventions, the strategies and techniques used within them and the findings produced by evaluation studies. The chapter concludes by identifying the specific features that are central to intervention success and exploring the potential of prevention strategies.

Working with parent abuse: setting the scene

Help-seeking contexts

Intervention work and how its success is measured need to be considered in the context of how parents seek help when experiencing abuse from their children. Mothers report that they have initially sought help from informal sources (friends, family and neighbours) rather than formal support services (Stewart et al, 2006; Howard and Rottem, 2008). However, this informal support has not always been forthcoming, with some mothers reporting that friends and family members have blamed them for the abuse (Howard and Rottem, 2008). There is no existing evidence of any gender differences in help-seeking for parent abuse, although mothers make up the majority of participants in parent abuse intervention support groups. However, we do know that, in cases of intimate partner violence (IPV), men are less likely to seek help from support services and are less likely to report victimisation to the police for fear that such incidents would be seen as ‘trivial’ (Felson et al, 2002). It may be that help-seeking behaviours in cases of parent abuse are similarly gendered.

We also know from studies on parent abuse that more specific barriers shape parental help-seeking. For example, mothers who seek help from social support networks have been found to be at increased risk of abuse from their child(ren) (Pagani et al, 2003). Some parents fear that their child will sever the child–parent relationship if they seek help (Paterson et al, 2002) and some parents lie to their child(ren) and other family members about where they are going when seeking help (Howard and Rottem, 2008).