More supports needed for children and young adults experiencing domestic violence and abuse

Posted on: 12 June 2025

“Children are afraid to speak up in general. I have a lot of mates that I have tried talking to… They don’t speak up about it [domestic violence and abuse]” – child, research participant

A new report, launched today [Thursday, 12^th June 2025] has found that children who have been impacted by domestic violence and abuse feel supported, safe and listened to when engaging with the Child and Youth Programme Community at the Meath Women’s Refuge and Support Services (MWRSS). The ‘Truly Be Me’ report, conducted by the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin and commissioned by the MWRSS, examines the practice and impact of the programme since it began in 2018.

Pictured: Attending the launch of the ‘‘Truly Be Me’ Supporting Children in the Community who have Experienced Domestic Violence and Abuse’ report. Back row, left to right, Dr. Eleanor Hollywood, Principal Investigator (TCD), Tracey O' Neill, Co- Principal Investigator (TCD), Aoife Carr, Children's and General Nursing Student (TCD) . Front row, Katie Carry Child and Youth Services Team Leader(MWRSS) and Frances Haworth CEO(MWRSS)

One of the most significant findings of the evaluation was how safe children felt when engaging with the programme. The children, aged 7 to 16 years, are best able to engage with therapeutic work, reflect, and begin healing when their basic safety needs are met. The programme fosters a feeling of safety for children and facilitates the development of strong therapeutic relationships between participating children and the Child and Youth Support Workers at MWRSS. This evaluation offers proof that recovery is possible. With the right supports, children can rebuild trust, confidence and emotional stability.

Researchers point to the need for interagency collaboration between domestic violence services, social work, family justice systems and schools to create environments where children feel secure enough to begin recovery. This has important implications for both practitioners and policy makers - without a safe and supportive environment, even the best designed interventions may struggle to reach their full potential. The timing of referral and support must align with each child's readiness and context, not just service availability.

The research also demonstrates that there is a need to raise awareness of the existing supports that are available to women and children who experience domestic violence and abuse through engagement with local schools, health services, Tusla, relevant community organisations and Garda stations. This will help to raise awareness in relation to children’s experiences of domestic violence and abuse and how they can be best supported in their recovery.

The research team examined possible ways to support the programme’s growth and development into the future. The authors of the report strongly emphasise the need for a commitment from Government to expand and fund wider service provision within specialised domestic violence services for the children and young people who have experiences of domestic violence and abuse.

Key insights

1. Child and Youth Programme Community is an imperative element of the of the Child and Youth Service at MWRSS.
2. Through the programme children in the community who experience domestic violence and abuse can access a safe, supportive and nurturing environment where they can express how they feel and process their emotions.
3. The Child and Youth Programme Community fosters a feeling of safety for children and facilitates the development of strong therapeutic relationships between participating children and the Child and Youth Support Workers at MWRSS.
4. The child centred and child lead nature of the programme ensures that recovery from domestic violence and abuse is focused on the needs of the child and that it takes place at a pace set and determined by the individual child.
5. Findings from the research presented in this report show that the programme is exceptionally beneficial to children who experience domestic violence and abuse in their lives and that the programme has a very meaningful impact on the child and their family.

Speaking at the launch, Dr Eleanor Hollywood, Associate Professor in Children’s Nursing, Trinity School of Nursing and Midwifery and Principal Investigator said:

“Our research sought the voices of children and young people who live in homes where there is domestic violence and abuse. Children who live in homes where there is violence and abuse are directly impacted by the abuse and this is a violation of their human rights.

Findings from our research show that the child-centred ‘Child and Youth Programme Community’ at Meath Women’s Refuge and Support Services (MWRSS) is exceptionally beneficial to these children and their family. Children and young people take part in the programme due to trauma, mental health concerns, difficulty processing complex family dynamics, exposure to unsafe situations and problems with emotional expression. Participating children and young people feel safe, supported, listened to and benefit greatly from the development of a therapeutic relationship with their Child and Youth Support Worker.  

The Child and Youth Programme Community is exceedingly helpful to children and young people who experience domestic violence and abuse as it helps to pave the way towards healing and recovery from the abuse."

 Avril, Age 9, research participant, said:

“This programme helped me a lot. I'm not scared to speak up anymore, and it helps me not think about all the bad stuff that happened at home. It's like this huge weight just got lifted off my shoulders. I came to the programme because I felt sad about feeling unsafe, and I was stressed about what was happening at home.”

Katie Carry, Child and Youth Service's Team Leader, Meath Women's Refuge and Support Services, also at the launch event, said:

“While the Zero Tolerance Strategy 2022 named children and young people as victims of domestic violence, there is still limited evidence on the effectiveness of targeted interventions for them. 

This research confirms that specialised domestic violence services who work from a trauma-informed and domestic violence lens to offer child centred approaches can significantly improve outcomes for children experiencing domestic abuse, including reductions in anxiety, fear, aggression and emotional dysregulation.

We need the voices of children and young people to be listened to. Children need standalone supports. Children are not just passive witnesses to domestic violence - they are direct victims. We can see positive outcomes for families we work with, when support is tailored specifically to the child's developmental and emotional needs, not just as part of parental interventions.

 The findings show that this work is essential to those children and young people that access our service.  We hope that our service will be supported and resourced to continue this work on a wider scale. With sustainable funding we can work with more children and young people in Co. Meath who have experienced domestic violence and need access to recovery supports.”

 You can read the full ‘Truly Be Me’ evaluation report at this link: https://www.tcd.ie/media/tcd/nursing-midwifery/pdfs/MWRSS-Truly-Be-Me-Evaluation-Report_Hollywood_ONeill_2025.pdf

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