Debt awareness week

Debt Awareness and Child-to-Parent Abuse: Breaking the Cycle

Debt Awareness Week serves as a vital opportunity to highlight financial struggles and encourage individuals to seek support. While debt can affect anyone, parents experiencing child-to-parent abuse often face unique financial challenges, including coercive control over money, forced borrowing, and financial manipulation. Understanding the connection between debt and child-to-parent abuse can empower parents to take steps towards financial and emotional recovery.

Financial abuse is a key element of coercive control and is increasingly seen in cases of child-to-parent abuse. Parents may find themselves pressured into giving money, taking out loans, or covering costs for their child against their will. Over time, this can lead to overwhelming debt, financial instability, and emotional distress.

Common signs of financial abuse in child-to-parent abuse include:

Forced Borrowing: Parents being coerced into taking out loans, credit cards, or payday loans for their child.
Control Over Finances: A child demanding access to bank accounts, benefits, or wages.
Unpaid Debts: Parents accumulating debt due to their child’s spending or lifestyle choices.
Threats and Manipulation: A child using emotional blackmail, threats, or intimidation to obtain money.
Destruction of Property: Breaking valuable belongings to force parents into financial submission.
Fear of Repercussions: Parents feeling unable to refuse financial demands due to the threat of aggression or false accusations.

For many parents, financial abuse leads to not only debt but also significant stress, anxiety, and isolation. The fear of losing financial security, coupled with emotional manipulation, can make it difficult to seek help or set boundaries.

Parents may experience:

A loss of financial independence.
Guilt and shame for struggling with debt.
A sense of helplessness in their own home.
Fear of confronting their child about financial issues.
Difficulty accessing financial assistance due to coercion or lack of control over their own funds.

If you are struggling with debt or experiencing financial abuse, the following UK organisations can provide free and confidential advice:

StepChange Debt Charity (www.stepchange.org) – Provides expert debt advice and solutions to help you regain control.
National Debtline (www.nationaldebtline.org) – A free and confidential debt advice service.
Citizens Advice (www.citizensadvice.org.uk) – Offers financial guidance and support for those dealing with financial and emotional abuse.
MoneyHelper (www.moneyhelper.org.uk) – A government-backed service offering free money and debt advice.

Financial abuse within child-to-parent abuse can feel isolating, but support is available. Seeking help for debt and coercive control is a courageous step towards regaining financial and emotional freedom. By raising awareness and breaking the silence, we can help parents rebuild their confidence and stability.

If you are experiencing financial coercion or abuse, reach out to trusted support services such as us here at PEGS or the services above.

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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.