National Lottery grant to support parents abused by their children

Extra support for parents being abused by their children has been secured thanks to more than £300,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

We are delighted to announce we've been awarded the money over the next three years in order to expand our services.

In its first two years of operation, PEGS supported more than 2,000 parents – and we now have in excess of 100 referrals a month from all over the UK. Parents, carers and guardians can refer themselves, or can be signposted by a professional.

The services on offer include virtual drop-ins, a peer support group, empowerment programmes, tailored workshops, one-to-ones and advocacy.

Michelle John, our Founding Director, said we were thrilled the National Lottery funding panel had recognised the need for CPA services – especially given at least 3% of UK households were thought to be impacted by abuse, which could be physical, financial, emotional, or even sexual.

Child of any age, including adult offspring, can display the behaviours – and sadly, at the very extreme end of the abuse, an incident of parricide (where a parent is killed by their child) happens once every 19 days in England and Wales.

Michelle added: “It’s vital for us to ensure parents feel listened to, believed and empowered – and the National Lottery funding will enable us to reach even more parents who currently may have no one to turn to. It can be extremely isolating to experience CPA, especially given it’s traditionally been fairly unknown and the support has always been limited.

“We aim to increase awareness around the topic, among the general public and among frontline services working alongside families, as well as working with national and regional bodies to help them implement and develop their policies, practices and frameworks.

“This will all be made much easier over the next three years thanks to the grant from The National Lottery Community Fund. Initially, we will be looking to open a new hub and take on additional staff in order to support an increase in services such as calls, drop-ins, advocacy, workshops and programmes.”

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Founding Director, Michelle, has been awarded an MBE in the Kings Birthday Honours for Family Support and Advocacy.

By PEGS Admin • June 15, 2026

Child to Parent Abuse organisation founder awarded MBE The founder of a social enterprise which has supported thousands of parents impacted by abusive behaviours from their children has been awarded an MBE. Michelle John, originally from Pembrokeshire in Wales but now based in Shropshire, was among the names announced for the prestigious accolade in the King’s Birthday Honours List this year. In 2020, Michelle set up not-for-profit organisation PEGS with the aim of supporting parents and carers, training professionals, influencing local and national policy, and raising awareness of Child to Parent Abuse – which is thought to affect up to one in ten households in the UK. Since then, she has grown a team of experts who have trained police, social workers, teachers and many other professionals to better recognise the signs of CPA, support parents, and signpost to specialist organisations. In addition, Michelle set up a range of parent-focused initiatives including daily practitioner-led online sessions, a Facebook peer support group which now has 3,300 members, and one-to-one offerings for those at highest risk. PEGS launched a CPA Covenant for employers in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions, only the fourth such covenant to be backed by the Government, and Michelle has advised everyone from the Home Office to Channel 4 and the BBC on CPA – the latter for storyline on Hollyoaks and EastEnders. Her work has seen CPA covered by journalists across television news programmes, national newspapers and magazine, and regional press and radio, and she’s received numerous awards both in the UK and internationally. Michelle, whose MBE was awarded for Family Support and Advocacy, said: “This honour is also shared with the parents who have trusted me along the way: they drive me, inspire me and I will always stand with them. “I feel proud, privileged and very grateful – and I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me and PEGS along the way. There is much more to come for PEGS, and we will continue to work every day for the parents and carers who have been or continue to be impacted by CPA. “There is so much to reflect on from the journey of the last six years, and there have been many highlights and challenges along the way. I am sure there will be many more in the future – although being told I’d received an MBE will always remain a truly incredible moment that I’ll remember forever!” For more information about us, visit www.pegsupport.co.uk or search for 'PEGS' on social media!