16 Days of Activism - Day 11

Family Lives was formed over 45 years ago by volunteers, with the aim of ensuring that all parents had somewhere to turn before they reached crisis point by providing a dedicated organisation to support parents.

We know that the right support at the right time makes all the difference. Family Lives provides targeted early intervention and crisis support to families who are struggling. We support families with a wide range of issues including children’s early development, challenging relationships and behaviour, and emotional and mental wellbeing.

We are a volunteer-led organisation with around 200 volunteers across our different services. We simply could not do what we do without them, alongside our dedicated team of staff. Many of our volunteers began their relationship with us as service users but have stayed to support others on their journey. This is a testament to the support they themselves received. We have many different volunteering opportunities available based both at home and in local communities.

Our crisis support, provided through our helpline, chat and email services, has always been at the heart of what we do. We also have long-standing programmes in the areas we work in across England, providing support to thousands of families through our befriending, outreach and home-visiting services.

Since our beginnings, Family Lives has supported families from the very first days of becoming a parent through to the teenage years and beyond. We are proud to offer support across the age range so that families can turn to us whenever they need us.

Over the last few years, we have seen an escalation in calls from family members relating to concerns about the levels of violence that children and young people are using against them. This has resulted in our call-handlers raising concerns about the significant risk to parents/carers and other family members, as well as to the children themselves. To explore this issue in more detail, we undertook a data review to examine the ways in which child aggression and violence manifests itself in the family home, and to identify some of the

underlying contexts that callers shared with us in our report Feeling Under Siege. You can read this report on our website.

We are committed to supporting families experiencing child to parent aggression and violence, and are proud to be working with amazing organisations such as PEGS to raise awareness of the increase of child to parent aggression and violence, and the support available.

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Allen Lane Foundation Supports New Workshop Lead Role to Expand Support for Parents

By PEGS Admin • March 18, 2026

We are thrilled to announce that the Allen Lane Foundation has generously funded a new Workshop Lead role to coordinate and deliver online workshops for parents and carers affected by Child-to-Parent Abuse (CPA) over the next 12 months. Parents and carers affected by CPA are often isolated, unsupported, and unsure where to turn. Our 2024 survey shows that 96% of parents feel isolated, 94% stressed, 92% scared, and 100% report an impact on emotional wellbeing. Over 70% have had to reduce or leave work. With demand for support rising to over 450 referrals per month and a 116% increase in November 2025 there is an urgent need for structured, accessible help. Expanding Online Workshops and 1:1 Support The new Workshop Lead will deliver a weekly online workshop for up to 15 participants, covering practical and emotional wellbeing topics such as stress management, goal-setting, and specialist techniques like Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). Alongside the weekly sessions, the project will also run: Bi-monthly two-part specialist workshops Monthly wellbeing workshops By taking the lead on workshop delivery, the Workshop Lead will free up our practitioner team to provide more personalised one-to-one support to high-risk parents, reaching an additional estimated 50 parents in need. Over 12 months, we anticipate that over 200 parents will benefit directly from group workshops, gaining tools to manage risk, improve emotional wellbeing, reduce stress, and build confidence. The workshops will also create a safe space for peer connection, helping to reduce isolation and foster resilience. Measuring Impact We will track success through attendance figures, participant feedback, and pre- and post-workshop surveys to capture changes in confidence, coping strategies, and wellbeing. Practitioners will also monitor the effect of increased one-to-one support to ensure parents feel safer, supported, and better able to manage their situation. Michelle John, our founding director, says: "Allen Lane Foundation’s continued support enables us to reach more parents and provide the practical guidance and personal support they urgently need. This Workshop Lead role will make a real difference, helping parents feel safer, more confident, and connected, while allowing our practitioners to provide targeted one-to-one support where it’s needed most." We are incredibly grateful to the Allen Lane Foundation for their ongoing belief in our work. This funding allows us to expand our online support, reach more parents, and provide both group and personalised assistance for those affected by CPA.