Adolescent to Parent Violence Research and Community Mental Health

This paper requests approval for the allocation of £355,000 of Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) funding to develop the parent/carer support programme as part of a public health approach by funding: WHOLE FAMILY APPROACH

1. A comprehensive needs assessment of Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence (CAPV) in London

2. A community-based parent/carer mental health support pilot

The VRU strategy demonstrates its commitment to developing resilient families through programmes which support parents who are concerned about their children – enabling them to access information and good practice, share their concerns and support each other.

Over the last year, the VRU has analysed a range of insight and data and consulted with and listened to communities, including parents and carers, on the picture of youth violence in London. We have gathered and collated considerable evidence to support a whole family approach to reducing violence, not just a focus on young people. To this end, approval is sought to develop two emergent themes which have been highlighted as key areas of concern for parents and carers; in particular, those with adolescents who may be at risk of extra-familial harm.

The community-based support is intended to provide targeted low-level emotional and mental health support for parents/carers from marginalised and/or minoritised communities who are typically underserved by mainstream services and often are managing unmet mental health needs which can impact their parenting capacity.

The comprehensive needs assessment is the first step being taken to explore the scale and nature of CAPV in London, to ensure services and support for children, young people and families is grounded in evidence. The research findings will inform the VRU’s public health approach to violence reduction in London, specifically, the development of a Pan-London strategic approach to CAPV in 2020/21 - 2021/22. 

A total of £100k will be allocated for a comprehensive assessment of CAPV to be undertaken as an 8-month project, awarded via a competitive tender process.

A total of £255k will be allocated for a community-based pilot project of up to 24 months to be delivered within neighbourhoods experiencing above average levels of risk of violence as indicated by recorded crime data, ambulance call data, Index of Multiple Deprivation and health data. Funding will be awarded via a competitive grant process.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to approve:

The allocation of:

1. £100,000 for an 8-month needs assessment of CAPV in London (1 November 2020 – 30 June 2021), provider to be identified via a competitive tender process; and following this process, delegate awarding of grants to the Director of the Violence Reduction Unit.

2. £255,000 for the delivery of a community-based mental health support pilot for parents/carers in high violence neighbourhoods in London for up to 24 months (to year end March 2023), provider to be identified via a competitive grants process; and following this process, delegate awarding of grants to the Director of the Violence Reduction Unit.

3. Indicatively note a potential carry forward funding of up to £200,00 into future financial years to deliver both 1 and 2, dependent on delivery of milestones.

1. Introduction and background

1.1. Over the last year, the VRU has analysed a range of insight and data and consulted with and listened to communities to understand the needs of parent/carers in London. This has included stakeholder engagement meetings, parent/carer survey and a stocktake of parenting programmes. We have gathered and collated considerable evidence to support a whole family approach to reducing violence, not just a focus on young people.

1.2. Two emergent themes have consistently featured across as areas of concern for parents and carers; in particular, those with adolescents who may be at risk of extra-familial harm. That is Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence and unmet mental and emotional health needs of parents and carers from marginalised and/or minoritised communities.

1.3. CAPV

Child/Adolescent-to-Parent Violence (CAPV) has consistently featured in feedback from stakeholders as a key issue affecting children and families in London.

1.4. The VRU’s work programme follows the path of a child’s journey through life, recognising that young people can be exposed to vulnerable situations in a range of social contexts that go beyond the family.

1.5. The VRU’s strategy and logic model centres on the premise that there are points along a child’s journey where the Unit needs to use evidence to inform what interventions will change the direction for a young person. It is not enough to build resilience around an individual; vigilance regarding the places and experiences with which young people interact and ensuring they are positive and safe places to be is a must. That includes schools, town centres, housing estates, their networks, friends and the family home.

1.6. Little is known about the families in London affected by CAPV; where they live, their protected characteristics or what support would help them. Nationally, the evidence base on CAPV is increasing, however, a substantial knowledge gap exists around the prevalence, nature and level of harm, intersections between this and other forms of intra or extra-familial harm, and the nature and efficacy of current partnership responses to CAPV (especially children’s safeguarding) at a borough level and Pan-London.

1.7. As a unit that has committed to be a hub of good practice that facilitates sharing, networking and capacity building to ensure London is a compassionate, resilient city, exploring the true scale and nature of CAPV in London is essential to ensure services and interventions are grounded in evidence. In addition, the return to schools following covid-19 lockdown is also a crucial time to assess the extent of this issue, given the likelihood of a spike in incidents and reports.

1.8. The VRU therefore seeks approval to award a total of £100k for a comprehensive assessment of CAPV to be undertaken as an 8-month research project, awarded via a competitive tender process. This will run from 16 November 2020 to 16 July 2021.

Mental and emotional wellbeing of parents/carers from minoritized communities

1.9. VRU stakeholder engagement, stocktakes of parenting programmes and analysis of public health and other key data has highlighted the impact of parental mental ill heath on the development and outcomes of children and young people. Stakeholder feedback and research has also revealed a lack of services for parents with the multiple and complex needs, including those experiencing trauma, and the importance and need to develop culturally competent therapeutic services for and embedded within communities.

1.10. The term adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is used to describe experiences that directly hurt a child (e.g. physical or emotional abuse) or affect them through the environment in which they live. This includes growing up in a household where one or both parents/carers have a mental illness.

1.11. ACEs and their negative effects can extend beyond a single generation, with their replication driven by complex interactions between personal and social environmental factors, leading to a broader impact across generations. Addressing the consequences of ACEs in adults may have the potential to also prevent exposure to ACEs for their children, hence the value of prioritising the tackling of parental mental ill-health as early as possible, and in a way that is accessible for parents/carers traditionally underserved by mainstream mental health provision and marginalised in a variety of ways.

1.12. Promising practice from services such as West London Mind, Black Thrive and Grenfell Health and Wellbeing Service is demonstrating the positive impact of innovative, culturally competent, diverse and inclusive community-based and/or led mental health support for parents/carers. Such services are demonstrating the need and effectiveness of such provision as forms of early intervention that mitigate more serious mental health crises occurring for parents/carers longer term.

1.13. These services are reaching parents/carers from communities where there are disproportionately high levels of risk factors for violence and structural inequalities such as deprivation, poor quality housing and unemployment, and who are underrepresented across mainstream adult mental health services. In addition, children and young people from these communities are underrepresented in child and adolescent mental health services. These services are operating in limited areas across London, and the evidence base to demonstrate the impact is developing.

1.14. The VRU therefore seeks approval to award a total of £255k to pilot a place-based community mental health project for parents/carers from marginalised and/or minoritised backgrounds for delivery of up to 24 months to year ending March 2023.

2. Context

2.1. The Violence Reduction Unit’s Strategy sets out our vision of how we intend to ensure London is a safe and compassionate city. Specifically, the Unit’s focus for the next 18 months is young people aged up to 25.

2.2. As an initial response to Covid-19 and its impact on violence, there is a need for a greater emphasis on support of vulnerable and exploitable young people, by continuing to recognise the importance of stronger families and communities.

2.3. During 2019/20 in line with our public health approach, the VRU has continued to look at violence not as isolated incidents or solely a police enforcement problem, but at violence as a preventable consequence of a range of factors, such as adverse early-life experiences, or harmful social or community experiences and influences. A public health approach means that to genuinely change behaviour we need to look at the context and influences that impact on individuals at significant points in their life. The VRU adopts a contextual approach which focuses on 7 contexts in society; the first two contexts are:

o Children and young people: reducing Adverse Childhood Experiences and building resilience

o Families and Home: Support and enable them to protect and nurture young people

2.4. The impact of intergenerational community trauma - e.g. racial trauma, structural discrimination, over-policing etc, does not tend to be recognised and responded to within mainstream services, and therefore targeted provision delivered by a diverse, culturally competent services provides the opportunity to address this, and test the outcomes in line with the VRU’s public health approach to developing evidence, and scaling up what works.

3. Issues for consideration

3.1. A key focus of the VRU’s parenting strand is to support stronger, more resilient family units.

3.2. The VRU is currently working with the London boroughs of Camden and Islington Public Health, to deliver an eight-strand project of multi-level parent/carer support across 2020/21 and 2021/22. The strands include: a transition to secondary school parent support programme; social media, benefits and education training for parents; and additional mental health support for parents. The project is focussed on community based, peer-to-peer support in the context of a public health approach to violence reduction. It will be formally evaluated to support the development of an evidence base pertaining to peer-to-peer models of parent support. The pilot has been revised to take into account the impact COVID-19 pandemic and related measures. Additional capacity to provide mental health support for parents is now also included.

3.3. This proposal has been developed based on feedback and recommendations from parent/carers and VRU stakeholders and partners to develop culturally competent services that recognise trauma and experiences that are specific to marginalised communities e.g. trauma stemming from childhood separation from parents/carers of the Windrush generation. This has therefore resulted in the development of a community based mental health support pilot that seeks to access and engage parents/carers who may not recognise when they are experiencing mental health issues, may not be aware of what to do in such circumstances or may not want to access a service that they do not feel will meet their cultural needs.

3.4. As part of this funding, the impact of the community based mental health pilot will be evaluated to build on the VRU’s developing evidence base around culturally competent services and effective parent/carer support as part of a public health approach. The evaluation will be cross referenced with findings from the snapshot needs assessment returned by all 32 London boroughs as part of the parent champion network funded by the VRU.

3.5. The CAPV research will be commissioned at a time where the UK has moved into further restrictions as part of national guidance to control the COVID-19 pandemic. The restrictions are very likely to have an impact on all forms of DVA and some child protection issues, including CAPV on both fronts. The need to understand this aspect of harm is therefore further increased by the potential ‘see-sawing’ of increased restrictions (including a potential return to full ‘lockdown’), then back again into the easing of restrictions. The added pressures on family dynamics, exacerbated by increased youth unemployment, decreased social interactions and increased social isolation, are therefore likely to result in high risk environments for children and families affected by CAPV.

3.6. Both Evidence and Insight team and the VAWG team within MOPAC have been sighted on the research proposal. Owing to the specialist nature of the research, it was decided that this should be competitively tendered.

4. Financial Comments

4.1. The budget requirement for this work totals £355,000 to be allocated, which will support delivery for a total of up to 24 months for the Community Mental Health Pilot, and 8 months for the comprehensive need’s assessment.

4.2. The funding breakdown is as follows; funding of £155k will be repurposed from a previously approved decision (PCD 696 Engaging Young Leaders) which no longer requires in full the originally allocated £355k, owing to some elements of this programme now being met through the Young Person’s Action Group and My Ends Community Connectors programmes, and £200k from existing available uncommitted commissioning budget.

As the programme spans over future financial years, the decision requests to indicatively note a potential carry-forward £200,000 into 21/22 to ensure funding for the duration of the programme, and to also note carry-forwards are finalised and processed at financial year-end.

5. Legal Comments

5.1. Paragraph 4.8 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) has delegated authority to:



• Approve bids for grant funding made and all offers made of grant funding; and/or where appropriate a strategy for grant giving.

• Approve the strategy for the award of individual grants and/ or the award of all individual grants whether to secure or contribute to securing crime reduction in London or for other purposes.

6. Commercial Issues

7. Public Health Approach

7.1. London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) is taking a public health approach to violence reduction, that is contextual; looking at the context and influences that impact on individuals at significant points in their life.

7.2. Two key areas which are being focussed on as part of this approach are:

• Children and Young People –reducing Adverse Childhood Experiences and building resilience

• Families and Home –Support & enable families to nurture and protect young people

7.3 This approach translates into the child’s journey through life with each young person’s interaction with different levels of society expanding as they grow older. As they move from the home into the community, there are a broader range of influences and experiences which can impact on them. This funding aims to address to key contexts and factors which can have significant impact on a child’s wellbeing and future outcomes.

8. GDPR and Data Privacy

8.1 MOPAC will adhere to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and ensure that any organisations who are commissioned to do work with or on behalf of MOPAC are fully compliant with the policy and understand their GDPR responsibilities.

8.2 All contracts and grant agreements will include clear provisions relating to compliance in this area, and in relation to the processing of personal data. These terms have been drafted following consultation with MOPAC’s GDPR Project Manager.

9. Equality Comments

9.1 Under s149 of the Equality Act 2010 (the Equality Act), as a public authority the Deputy Mayor/MOPAC must have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and any conduct that is prohibited by or under this Act; and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. Protected characteristics under the Equality Act are age, disability, gender re-assignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and marriage or civil partnership status (the duty in respect of this last characteristic is to eliminate unlawful discrimination only).

9.2 Similar to domestic abuse perpetrated by adults, CAPV, is a gendered form of violence, most commonly involving mothers being harmed by their adolescent sons.

9.3 An analysis of Metropolitan Police Service CAPV data from 2019-20, found 1,427 incidents of violence perpetrated by a 10-17 year old towards a parent/carer. It is widely agreed across the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector that these figures, whilst appearing limited, will significantly under-represent the scale of the issue. As is the case for other forms of VAWG, there will be many reasons why parents/carers do not report their situation to the police of other services, some commentators feel that these barriers will be compounded for parent/carers where the person to be reported is their own child.

9.4 The Mental Health Foundation has identified five important influences on the Black Asian and Minority Ethnic communities’ mental health, these are: Racism and discrimination; social and economic inequalities, mental health stigma, the criminal justice system and other factors.

9.5 The VRU ensures that parent-focussed interventions commissioned in the interests of violence reduction are applicable, available, accessible and appealing to different groups of Black and minority ethnic parents/carers; part of which must include ensuring that parents do not feel stigmatised or ‘grouped’ based on ethnicity or other characteristic. Co-producing these specifications to design a culturally competent pilot and ensure an intersectional lens is applied to the CAPV research is one way in which the VRU is mitigating the equality impact of this programme.

9.6 The overarching principles and good practice examples cited in the 2007 review Engaging Effectively with Black and Minority Ethnic Parents in Children’s and Parental Services, commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (now the DfE), are relevant and well-explained to help ensure equity of access to parent/carer support.

10. Background/supporting papers

10.1. None.