“Are we always looking in the right place when it comes to identifying who is at risk?”

The article explores a challenge that is often overlooked: while safeguarding in schools rightly focuses on keeping children safe, who is safeguarding their parents and carers?

Child to Parent Abuse (CPA) can affect anyone, regardless of background or circumstances. The Government now recognises CPA as a form of domestic abuse when it involves children aged 16 or above - though in many cases, the behaviours start years earlier.

A Holistic Approach to Safeguarding:

Safeguarding must extend beyond the child. Michelle emphasizes that:

“If we’re not safeguarding parents too, then we’ll never be able to help families take positive steps towards accessing support for CPA.”

By recognising that anyone in a family can be at risk, we can work together to:

• Provide parents with the support they need
  
  
• Reduce the impact of CPA on the child displaying these behaviours
  
  
• Strengthen family resilience
  
  
• Ultimately, improve outcomes for the wider community
  
  

We continue to champion a holistic view of safeguarding, one where parents and carers are seen, heard, and supported.

To read the full feature and Michelle’s insights, head to: