Children

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If you are in an abusive relationship and you have children you may find it hard to know what to do for the best. It is important to remember that children are affected by witnessing arguments and assaults and will need support to cope with what is happening at home. Sometimes the children themselves are also hurt or abused. There are organisations in Islington that can help you to protect your children from the effects of domestic violence.

For information on children’s services in Islington contact one of the organisations listed on the ‘contacts’ link or under useful websites.

Abusers commonly threaten that your children will be taken away if you tell anyone about the violence at home. This is very unlikely to happen. The Children’s Services recognise that the best way of protecting children from harm is to support the parent or carer who is not abusive to do the best for the children.

If you are concerned about the well being of your children you can contact Islington Children’s Services Assessment Team, visit the contacts link.

If you are thinking of leaving the abusive relationship try to take your children with you. Visit the section on Safety Planning.

If you have already left your partner and are concerned that he will abduct the children, there are steps that you can take. As a minimum keep your child’s documents (e.g. birth certificate, passport etc.) and any court orders in a safe place. If your child does not have a passport, lodge an objection with the passport office to stop your partner obtaining one. Further advice about this can be obtained from your solicitor or legal advisor or Women’s Aid.

Child contact may be a concern after separation from a violent partner. If your partner wishes to have contact with the children, you should seek legal advice as soon as possible. The courts must take into account the effects of domestic violence when considering cases involving contact with children.  This should help prevent survivors and children involved in contact disputes from suffering further violence. 

There are a number of issues and court orders that are covered by legislation:

• Parental Responsibility - which recognises 'all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and his property'. All mothers automatically have this.

• Residence Orders - these state who a child will live with.

• Contact orders - these relate to contact between the non-resident parent and other significant persons (e.g. grandparents and siblings) and the children). The mother can ask the court to stipulate that any contact ordered is supervised.

• Supervised contact orders - which stipulate that contact must be supervised.

• Prohibited Steps orders - which prohibit those named in the order from taking certain actions with the child, for example forbidding them from taking the child abroad or preventing unsupervised contact with the chil

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