Between a Rock and a Hard Place: How Parents Deal with Children Who Use Substances and Perpetrate Abuse

This report has been written by Adfam and Against Violence and Abuse (AVA) and covers the processes and findings of a joint project carried out by the two organisations in 2011/12 on child to parent violence and abuse. It reveals that every day parents (usually mums) are living with violence and abuse from their child (usually sons). Whether the child is 11 or 40 years old, such violence and abuse can result in severe emotional and mental distress, financial hardship, physical health problems and injuries, or worse. This report allows us an insight into the lives of parents living with violence and abuse from their children, their attempts to cope, and their experiences of services they’ve turned to for help.

The findings of this project emerged within a political context of local commissioning and public service cuts. Family support groups can offer a lifeline to parents but they need to be equipped to offer the right advice and information. This report argues that family support services are a cost effective resource given the potential savings to health and social care from parents who otherwise may seek help elsewhere and they require relatively limited resources to ensure their continued existence.