CYP Now - Children affected by domestic abuse must be given 'protected' status, MPs urge

The government must develop a specific strategy for children affected by domestic abuse, give them "protected" status on waiting lists for mental health services, and impose new legal duties on local authorities to protect them, an influential group of MPs has said.

A report by the home affairs select committee highlights concerns that the government's Domestic Abuse Bill fails to properly recognise the impact domestic abuse can have on children.

According to latest Office for National Statistics figures, 130,000 children in England and Wales live in homes where there is a "high risk" of domestic abuse.

The report cites evidence heard by the committee from charity Action for Children, warning of the destabilising effect domestic abuse has on children's lives.

The charity's evidence details how such abuse can harm the brain and sensory growth of children, their ability to develop healthy relationships as adults, and increases the risk that they will become abusive themselves.

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