Early Years Professional Development Centre

Children are changed by growing up with violence and abuse at home

In this module  you will learn about the context of woman abuse, how it affects women and their parenting,  and what can be done to support  women. Woman abuse is a reportable situation in Canada. This module includes guidance in making a report to child protection agencies.

Children are changed by growing up with violence and abuse at home. 

In this module  you will learn about the impact of woman abuse on children's well-being and development.

Topics addressed include

• what children might feel, think and do during violent incidents against  their mothers,

• roles they might  adopt  before, during or after incidents,

• strategies of coping and survival, 

• how  violence  may be  experienced  by children of different ages, from infancy to adolescence.

• what is needed to help and support children to develop resilience.

This module is designed for anyone who wants a better understanding of the response of young,  typically defenseless children, to experiences of trauma, family violence, abuse and neglect. Experts explain that most often, adults who are caring for and educating children do not realize that the child has experienced trauma and do not recognize their symptoms or needs. This module will appeal to a variety of early years and family support professionals, given the nature of the content.

Resilience is the ability to steer through serious life challenges and find ways to bounce back and to thrive. We are born with the capacity for resilience. But resilience is not something we have or don’t have. We work on it throughout our lives. Young children learn a lot by watching, and when a caregivers copes well with everyday stress, they are showing their children how to do the same.