ABSTRACT

This chapter outlines the impact of domestic violence (DV) on young children. Exposure to DV has detrimental effects on the emotional and behavioural adjustment of significant numbers of children. Impacts on children vary greatly, depending on developmental stage, the longevity, severity and extent of the violence and abuse, the quality of their relationships with caregivers, and the intersection of adversities experienced. While many children living with DV have protective factors that mean that they do as well as those in the general community, outcomes are worst for those children where the violence is chronic and severe and there are few mediating influences.

The parenting choices of men who use violence have a critical impact on children. While fathers using DV put their children at great risk, evidence suggests that they may best be engaged in attitudinal and behavioural change through their fathering role.

The mother-child relationship, a key protective factor for young children, is often directly attacked by perpetrators of DV. DV can compromise a mother’s ability to provide for her children’s physical and emotional well-being, profoundly affecting them. The recognition and acknowledgement of the protective measures that many women take to defend their relationship with their children, and supporting the safety of mothers, are two key strategies for protecting children in DV circumstances.

While early intervention is perhaps the best strategy for protecting young children from DV, the focus of these interventions is contested. A customised approach to assessment recognises that children live in different contexts of vulnerability and protection and require a range of possible responses.