PEGS launches national employer Covenant

Michelle and the PEGS team are delighted to announce the launch of the Child to Parent Abuse Covenant, backed by the DWP.

Employer support for parents being abused by their children is set to be stepped up thanks to the launch of a national covenant.

PEGS has partnered with the Department for Work and Pensions to create the CPA Covenant, in a bid to ensure organisations are able to effectively support both staff and service users.

Our Founding Director Michelle John explained the main aim was to ensure employers included CPA in their policies and practices around domestic abuse, as well as bringing the often-hidden issue to the attention of more organisations across the UK.

“We wanted to ensure managers and HR teams were supported to learn more about CPA, discover how it could be impacting their service users and own staff, and implement effective policies and practices which are going to truly support those affected by this issue,” she added.

The term Child to Parent Abuse covers a range of abusive and violent behaviours displayed by a child of any age (including adult offspring) towards their parent, carer or guardian. Often other family members such as siblings are impacted too, and experts believe between 3% and 10% of UK households could be affected.

CPA includes physical, financial, verbal and even sexual abuse – and often has a profound impact not only upon family life, but also the parent’s relationships, physical health, mental health and employment.

Among PEGS parents, in excess of 40% have been forced to reduce their hours or leave work altogether as a direct result of the abuse.

Michelle added: “Staff members may not feel comfortable disclosing to their employer that they are being abused by their child, especially if there’s no support structure in place. In many cases, their manager may not have even heard of CPA, and it’s even less likely that they have existing CPA-focused policies and practices.

“We’ve been training organisations such as local authorities, police forces and charities for the past 18 months so we know it’s something that managers are willing to learn more about once they realise the significance. After most sessions I lead, at least one of the professionals being trained discloses that they have been impacted by CPA, which is why it’s important that organisations look to support their own staff as well as service users.

“There are so many ways organisations can assist – such as implementing different working patterns or enabling their employees to access support services during their working day; but most of all, parents experiencing CPA simply want to be listened to and believed. A supportive atmosphere where they feel comfortable to disclose their situation makes all the difference.”

Organisations signing up to the Covenant will be able to access a free exclusive one-hour webinar with Michelle, which will cover the basics of CPA and ideas of how they can begin to implement CPA policies and practices – as well as a wealth of information and resources to help them do so.

Tony Hyland, Senior National Account Manager for the DWP, said: “The DWP is delighted to support in the promotion of the CPAC which, building on our work in establishing the Care Leaver Covenant (CLC) and the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant (EDAC), will not only provide affect parents with practical assistance – but will also engage our National Employers and Partners in highlighting this issue and signing up to the Covenant itself, thereby working with PEGS on an ongoing basis.”

To sign up to the CPAC, simply click here.

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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!