1 in 7 children under the age of 18 have lived with domestic abuse and in Northern Ireland the PSNI are responding to a domestic abuse incident every 17 minutes. Often children are present, and more and more research into the impact of abuse at home is telling us that children qualify as equal victims, that they are just affected as their mothers.

In a world full of crisis and grim headlines stories of war, famine, displacement it can seem totally overwhelming to us in our day to day lives to know where to start or what difference any donation or action will make.

As a local charity working in your area all over Belfast, Lisburn, Downpatrick and Newcastle we want to describe the very real need of children affected by domestic abuse at home, which is closer than you think.

Our support for children and young people

We support on average 100+ children (and their families) at any point in the month...

30+ children are referred into our services each month

33 children are currently living in our refuge accommodation

96 children are currently accessing support from the community

We offer one-to-one support and peer group support for children from 0-18 years. We get alongside children and explore their story and experiences through play, art, relaxation and words. We take them through a power programme, building their confidence and worth so that they can take steps to valuing themselves and their safety. We teach them emotional literacy, supporting them to recognise and articulate their feelings in an embodied way. This teaches them about the signals their body gives them about danger and safety. We also work with them to develop safety plans, identify support networks and what steps they need to take to ask for help.

There is an incredible moment when children meet other children, who in the safety and trusting space we create feel safe enough to share their story, realise they are not alone, and talk about what isn't okay or hasn't felt safe for them at home and in their lives, bad things that have happened and people that have scared them that they haven't been able to say out loud before.

We are the top intervention recommended by most professionals who are aware of children's challenging home circumstances. Social workers, teachers, health visitors and even counsellors put us forward to families as the best support available.

How you can help us

We are asking you, as our local community and supporters of our babies, children and teenagers to consider pledging donation to support our work. We need help in providing access to our services. There are many barriers to get support for children and we don't want any of them to be about transport. That's why this summer we're creating a travel fund that can offer assistance to children and are asking you to donate to support a child in accessing our service.

Here's what your money can do...

£5 a month pays for a child's journey to a support group

£10 a month pays for a young person to journey both ways to their support group

£40 pays for a child's return journeys to support groups for a month

£65 pays for a child to access groups AND 1-2-1 sessions for a month

Please pledge to make a difference to a child's life today.