Domestic violence

Jack is a child we have been helping in one of our domestic violence projects. Provided we changed his name, Jack’s mum has allowed us to tell his story.

Jack’s story

The violence in Jack’s family built up over a number of years. Jack’s father worked away during the week, but when he came home at weekends there were often huge arguments that ended in violence. Jack and his two brothers were terrified of what their father would do next. They loved their mum, and lived in constant fear that one day their dad might do something really awful to her.

There is one occasion that Jack cannot get out of his mind. ‘My dad kept hurting mum for ages, she was really crying and trying to keep away from him. My little brother was hanging on to her and trying to get them to stop. I was so scared.’

Eventually Jack’s dad left. But Jack’s mum was depressed and began to find it even harder to cope. Jack and his brothers wanted to help her so much that they started trying to look after themselves. Although he was only 7 years old, as the oldest brother, Jack took on responsibility for his younger brothers.

The family was referred to their local Barnardo’s project. Barnardo’s project workers worked with Jack and his brothers individually to help them begin to recover from the impact of living with their father’s terrifying domestic violence. The family are now building a new life and their project worker is very pleased with the progress they have made. ‘They have pulled things around and have a good future ahead.’

Find out more about how our projects help children like Jack who live in fear of domestic violence.

Give £5 a month to help offer children like Jack the support they so desperately.