PI Brief Update

Dealing With Domestic Violence

Brought to you by our friends at the Cooperative Legal Services.

Children are always the focal point of any family. Noticed how at any large gathering, the one who gets all the attention and love is inevitably the youngest?

Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins queue up to shower the children of the family with love and affection but why?

Children, for all their mess and noise, are always rewarding. The very honest and real smile you get when you give them an ice cream, the cuddle you get when they're feeling tired and the squeals of laughter when you tickle them; whether you have been a parent or not, spending time with children is almost always an enriching and beneficial experience.

Sadly, children are also very vulnerable creatures. They aren't always aware of what is right and wrong, nor do they necessarily understand when they are not being taken care of properly. They will also have no comprehension of their rights by law.

The experiences of our childhood have a huge part to play in the adults we become later in life. A huge amount of our character will be determined by our upbringing and environment. If the environment or upbringing of a child is unpleasant or even abusive, then the chances are that that child will grow into an unpleasant or abusive adult, with the cycle repeating itself again and again.

That isn't fair. Too many adults have had their lives ruined or hampered by the psychological and physical abuse they suffered as children, and a whole new generation of youngsters are facing the same problems day in and day out.

These children require protection from domestic violence; protection that you can get with firms such as The Co-operative Legal Services.

If you fail to adequately protect your children from domestic violence, perhaps at the hands of an abusive partner, you could be liable for prosecution by Social Services or the Police, who take such matters very seriously. All allegations of abuse in the home will face heavy scrutiny, so should never be made without sound backing and mature judgement.

Because it can be tricky to work out what (legally) constitutes violence or abuse, the best thing to do as a starting point is to call the Co-op and speak to a legal expert who will help you understand what needs to be done next. Help is just a phone call away.

No-one deserves to be the victim of domestic abuse, least of all children. Stop it happening once and for all.