As he aims to raise further awareness of Child to Parent Abuse following recent White Ribbon Campaign, Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn is encouraging organisations in the Dyfed-Powys area to sign the Child to Parent Abuse Covenant.

Child to Parent Abuse is a particular nuance of domestic abuse, and there is lack of awareness of this type of abuse according to Mr Llywelyn, which is something that he has been keen to address in recent years.

The Covenant gives employers across the UK the opportunity to recognise Child to Parent Abuse as a key type of domestic abuse, and begin offering support to their staff, volunteers, and any service-users or members of the public they come into contact with.

Organisations can sign the Covenant whether they have existing policies and staff training in place, or whether they are completely new to their journey of discovering what CPA is and how it affects families.

The Covenant has been launched by not-for-profit organisation PEGS (Parents Education Growth Support), as part of their ongoing commitment to supporting parents, carers and guardians impacted by CPA.

PEGS is working in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions to promote the Covenant and the positive impacts of signing up.

In 2021, along with partners within the Dyfed Powys area, PCC Llywelyn’s Office worked with PEGS to inform and develop a regional policy and guidance document regarding child to parent abuse.

In addition to this, a comprehensive training package has been delivered to practitioners, including police officers, commissioned services and partners through PEGS.

The training includes awareness of an assessment tool that is being used by Dyfed-Powys Police to identify the presence of child to parent abuse, and to inform the operational response.

Once it is identified, PCC Llywelyn has previously used the Home Office Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Fund to provide training sessions and a whole family programme under the banner Break for Change, that works with parent and child together.

This training is now being delivered through a unique project called Ar Trac, which is funded through a Welsh Government Sustainable Social Services grant, and is the first project of its kind in Wales.

Mr Llywelyn has also recently spoken at a national conference, discussing Child to Parent Abuse and the work being carried out in the Dyfed-Powys area.

He said: “We are fully committed to tackling domestic abuse here in Dyfed-Powys. Child to Parent Abuse is an often overlooked aspect of this issue, and it is our duty to raise awareness.

“Our efforts, including the unique training we are providing within this area and signing the Child to Parent Abuse Covenant, are steps toward a safer and more informed community. By working together, we can create lasting change and support those affected by these forms of abuse.

“I encourage all organisations in the Dyfed-Powys to sign the Covenant, so that they get an opportunity to learn more about Child to Parent Abuse and begin offering support to their staff, volunteers, and any service-users or members of the public they come into contact with.”

Further details about the Child to Parent Abuse, and the Covenant, can be found on PEGS’ website here; https://www.pegsupport.co.uk/CPAC