Research undertaken by the two charities and funded by the City Bridge Trust, found that councils offer little support to children affected by domestic violence, particularly those deemed to be below "high risk" thresholds for child protection intervention.
The report revealed that some areas offer no services to children living with domestic violence, while others consider children’s needs as second to mothers.
It also found that domestic violence risk assessments are rarely used to identify the needs of children, and that children are often considered separately from their mothers in terms of support.
According to the charities, current policy can compound the problems of children trying to escape abuse. For example, boys over the age of 16 are not permitted to live in refuges with their mothers, in some cases leaving them homeless or remaining with a violent adult.
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