“By the time my daughter was 8 years old she had what her Junior School classed as ‘behaviour problems’. By the time she got to high school at 11, she was really angry, with regular outbursts of violence.

Her verbal abuse was appalling, and she was prone to angry, aggressive outbursts almost daily. Her sister and I were the main focus of her anger and slapping, shoving, and threatening were regular occurrences”.

Imagine being scared of your child. Of being afraid of what may happen if you upset them. Of worrying about your family’s safety but not knowing what to do or where to go for help.

Child and adolescent abuse and violence is a pattern of behaviour that encompasses but are not limited to, physical and emotional abuse, financial/economic abuse, damaging property, humiliating and belittling behaviour, threats and stealing. This impacts the whole family including siblings. Parents and carers feel ashamed to tell others about what is going on in their homes and worried about the impact of sharing their lives on their children.

“Most children and young people who are abusive and violent in the home use this behaviour out of fear. So many parents are told this is a parenting issue, they feel guilty and question what they may have done wrong, this behaviour is usually a relationship fracture and communication breakdown within the family system. Working with both the child and the parent is so important , it is joint responsibility , an opportunity for both the parent and child to work together to change the narrative in the home”.

Capa First Response CIC (Capa) is an online support resource for families and professionals. The only one of it’s kind in the world. Capa works with the whole family, giving them support and strategies to look at ways to communicate positively and repair fractured relationships, leading to reduced violence and abuse in the home.

Capa First Response CIC was set up in May 2020 by Jane Griffiths. In the first 10 months of opening Jane has supported over 250 families and professionals seeking support around child to parent abuse.

To raise awareness and funds to continue the work Capa is doing, Jane is going to complete a virtual sponsored walk.

“The first parent to contact Capa in May 2020 lived in Powys Wales and the first professional to contact me was from Kent. That is 197 miles, I decided I would walk this distance to help raise awareness of the issue as well as the service Capa offers. I can't physically walk between the two due to Covid restrictions, instead I will walk this distance around my home town of Brighton. For the month of May I will put my walking shoes on and walk”.

Jane is looking to reach a £5,000 target, this will enable Capa to offer 50 FREE live advice and support sessions for families, and 50 121 sessions directly to children, young people, parents and carers.

“Anyone impacted by child to parent abuse can contact Capa , we offer a first response service for families to feel heard and supported . We listen and put into place strategies to change what is happening and to help reduce the violent and abusive behavior. We work directly with children, young people, parents and carers via telephone, text, WhatsApp, Facebook, emails and online platforms including Zoom, Skype and teams.

You can help by donating what you can, or you can walk with Jane. You can walk in whatever area you live in simply register your interest, download our sponsorship form and start walking.

Your support can make a huge difference to children, young people and families impacted by child to parent abuse.

"I contacted you in Feb and you were a savior when I needed to nip my daughters behavior in the bud before it got worse . I wanted say thank you for how much you helped me and how understanding you were. Just those 3 sessions helped me put strong boundaries in place and the importance of consequences. Its still working and my daughter is back in school. Thank you " parent accessing advice and support sessions

"I had an argument with my mum this week, it didn't turn violent though I went to my room and tried to stay away". 14 year old accessing 121 support