From awareness to action: Reflecting on our first Child to Parent Abuse Summit
Bringing people together, challenging the silence and turning understanding into meaningful change.
On Wednesday the 14th of October 2026, we marked our fourth Child to Parent Abuse (CPA) Awareness Day by bringing something special to life: the first-ever PEGS Child to Parent Abuse Summit.
Held on a day dedicated to raising awareness of CPA, the Summit brought together professionals, practitioners, researchers, organisations and people across sector who are committed to improving the experiences of parents, carers and guardians impacted by abuse from their child.
It was a powerful day of learning and honest conversations. Most importantly, it was an opportunity to look beyond awareness and ask a vital question: what needs to change to ensure families receive the understanding, recognition and support they deserve?
Why conversations about CPA matter
Child to Parent Abuse remains a hidden form of abuse, often surrounded by stigma, shame and misunderstanding. Parents can find it incredibly difficult to speak about what is happening at home, particularly when they fear judgement or worry about how their experiences will be received.
It is estimated that at least 3% of UK households are impacted by CPA. We also know that, in England and Wales, one parent is killed by their own child every 19 days.
Behind these figures are families whose experiences can go unseen, whose needs can be misunderstood and who may struggle to find appropriate support.
We know that awareness matters. But awareness alone is not enough.
Families need informed professionals, appropriate safeguarding responses, joined-up services and systems that recognise the complexity of CPA without placing blame on the parents seeking help.
That is why we created the Summit.
Advancing Change Together
Our Summit was created around the belief that meaningful change cannot happen alone.
We wanted to create space for different sectors, perspectives and areas of expertise to come together, share learning and consider how we can improve responses to CPA.
This year's Summit explored CPA through the lens of policy and safeguarding, looking into how criminal justice, education, safeguarding practice and wider systems can better recognise and respond to the experiences of families.
Throughout the day, our fantastic speakers brought a range of knowledge, research and practical insight to the conversation.
Our programme included:
Michelle John - Opening and Welcome
Rachael Condry and Caroline Miles - Criminal Justice Responses to Filial Violence Across the Lifecourse
Viran Wiltshire - Child to Parent Abuse: Criminal Justice and Policy
Tony Hyland - DWP and Support for the Taboo
Michelle John - The Taboo Within the Taboo
Clarrie O’Callaghan and Wendy Bulman - From Hidden Harm to Practical Change
Joe Lockley - See the Child. Challenge the Behaviour
Annelli Peavot and Elle Matthews - The Emerging Safeguarding Challenge for Schools, Colleges and Universities
Laura Davies - PEGS Framework, Policy and Theory of Change
Michelle John - Moving Forward
Each talk contributed to a wider conversation about what needs to happen next. From policy and criminal justice responses to safeguarding and education, the discussions highlighted the importance of recognising CPA, challenging misconceptions and ensuring that understanding translates into practice.
The conversations that stayed with us
The impact of a day like this cannot be measured by the programme alone. It is also found in the conversations that continue afterwards, the connections made and the questions people take back into their own work.
One attendee shared their appreciation following the event:
“I just wanted to drop you an email to say how amazing the Summit was on Wednesday […] Well done to you and the team, I hope you get lots of incredible feedback post event!”
Another delegate spoke about wanting to work more closely with PEGS to improve outcomes for the families they support:
“As a CYP worker working with children displaying harmful behaviours. I'd love to work with this service to get the best outcome for the families I support.”
And another shared:
“An incredible day, really got me thinking about my own practice. Thanks PEGS”
Feedback like this reminds us why bringing people together matters. There is a genuine appetite to collaborate and find better ways to support families experiencing CPA.
We are grateful to everyone who attended, contributed, asked questions, shared their knowledge and helped make the day what it was.
Awareness is the starting point. What happens next matters.
One of our biggest reflections from this year's Summit is that awareness is the starting point, and training is not the outcome. The outcome is what changes afterwards.
Learning about CPA is important. Developing a deeper understanding is important. But we must also consider what that knowledge changes in practice.
Does it help a professional recognise the signs of CPA?
Does it change how a parent is listened to when they ask for help?
Does it lead to a more informed safeguarding response?
Does it encourage services to work together rather than leaving families to navigate complex systems alone?
And does it help parents, carers and guardians feel heard, believed and supported rather than judged?
These are the questions that must continue beyond the Summit.
We will keep advocating for better understanding, stronger responses and meaningful changes to the policies and systems that impact families. We know that no single organisation can achieve this alone. Progress depends on services listening to one another, learning from lived experience and working together towards a shared goal.
To everyone who joined us, supported the event, shared our message or continues to champion the needs of parental figures, thank you.
And to the parents, carers and guardians who have trusted us with their experiences and helped shape this work: thank you. We know that speaking out is not always easy. Your voices must remain at the heart of the changes we are working towards.
We are still here listening. Still here learning. Still here raising awareness. Still here advocating for parental figures. We still working towards better understanding and support.
Looking ahead: CPA Summit 2027 - CPA and hidden communities
We are excited to share that early-bird tickets for the 2027 Child to Parent Abuse Summit are now available!
Following the conversations and learning from our first Summit, we are already looking ahead to the next opportunity to bring people together and continue advancing change.
Our 2027 theme is:
CPA and hidden communities
Child to Parent Abuse often goes unseen. In some communities, it can be even harder to recognise, talk about or reach out for support. Barriers linked to stigma, access to services, cultural expectations and a lack of understanding can make more challenging for families to feel able to reach out.
We are on a mission to change this.
On Thursday the 14th of October 2027, we will come together in Shropshire to mark CPA Awareness Day and explore how we can better recognise and respond to CPA in communities whose experiences may be overlooked.
Our speakers are being booked and we are finalising the venue. We look forward to sharing more details soon.
If you want to be part of these conversations and help shape better support for families, we would love you to join us.
Book your early-bird ticket for the 2027 CPA Summit
Together, we can turn understanding into change
