Each year in Fife there are 4000 incidents of domestic abuse reported to the Public Protection Unit; 30-40% of children in police Cause for Concern reports relate to domestic abuse and a high proportion of children witness incidents.

CEDAR provides a therapeutic 12 week group work programme for children and young people alongside a group to support mothers.

By taking an holistic approach to help ‘heal’ the devastating affects of domestic abuse, the results of the three year pilot is showing that children and young people are more able to understand & come to terms with their experiences and able to keep themselves safe with improved support from their mothers who are more able to reflect on their child’s need.

Ms Constance said-
“I’d like to commend the work of the Cedar initiative and all those involved in what is a hugely important programme.
Domestic abuse has a devastating impact on family life. Projects such as Cedar can play a huge part in helping repair the damage it causes, allowing the affected youngsters to share their experiences and start to build a pth towards a happier and safer future.”

Sheila Noble, Co-ordinator of Fife Domestic and Sexual Abuse Partnership and CEDAR Fife Manager said:- “The impact of domestic abuse on children and young people can be profound. They may have lived with abuse for many years before the impact on their wellbeing is identified or they get help.”

CEDAR understands that it is really important that children and their mothers are able to talk about the abuse as many families adopt a “conspiracy of silence” in an attempt to protect each other.

“Children from 4 to 16 years share their experience of domestic abuse in a group of their peers. Here they learn that it is not their fault; how to keep themselves safe and how to deal with feelings, such as anger, positively. Mothers also attend group to understand domestic abuse from their child’s point of view, to help their child through the programme and to be there for them in future.”
Cllr George Kay, Strategic Chair: Police Fire & Safety Committee said:
“Domestic abuse is a Community Safety priority in Fife. This Government funded initiative has helped us to adopt new approaches, best practice and build on our strong partnership working to intervene at an early stage. Our work is showing results to help children and young people to recover their experiences in many ways such as improving their personal relationships and capacity to learn at school.”

Some quotes from those involved in CEDAR:

“I’ve been able to talk to my mum when there’s something wrong and my mum says that’s actually a lot better because she’s able to sort it all out” (boy 11 yrs)

“It’s a place where you can relax a wee bit and just talk about it slowly, you’re not having to be in a rush, or you’re not like tied with an adult, like trying to push you on” (boy 16 yrs)

“She’s excelling in school, she really is, her school report is amazing… I was just grinning from ear to ear reading it” (mother)

“Cedar’s brought us closer as a family. I’m more confident than I was… I can go out and do things more. I’ve learned that its not my fault” (mother)

“I’ve learnt from talking to mothers – it was a real eye opener for them – and for me. The mothers supported my learning. In any group there’s learning for you as a participant – even if you’re a facilitator” (facilitator)

mediaco-op was commissioned by the CEDAR (Children Experiencing Domestic Abuse Recovery) Network to produce a five minute animated film for children. This animated production is aimed at children who find themselves in unsafe situations without knowing what they can do to protect themselves.

“Mikey and Jools keep safe” has been developed for children who have experienced and are recovering from domestic abuse. It shows how a brother and sister make a safe decision when they experience ‘shouting and hurting’ in their home.

“Mikey and Jools keep safe” teaches children that they always have choices. They learn to trust their feelings, identify their options, and make decisions that will keep them safe. It gives children simple tools to use, and it helps them understand that they are not the cause of the problems that exist within their families.

It provides an opportunity to consider safety planning and can be a starting point for children to talk about their experiences. Once the film has ended the children are asked how they are feeling, some can find it upsetting and difficult, and it may make them sad. The children are asked how it felt watching the film. The end of the film is deliberately left ‘open’ to explore what might happen next. For example, what happened to dad after the police were called?  This allows children to talk about their own experiences.

Mikey and Jools keep safe effectively communicates the following important messages to young children:

• You can trust your own feelings
• It isn’t selfish to take care of yourself
• You don’t have to stay in situations that feel unsafe
• You can make decisions and take action that will lead you to safety

“Mikey and Jools Keep Safe” was written by Martin McCrardie (River City, Shameless), animated by the artist Nikki Godley and produced by media co-op.

The concurrent nature of the programme interested me, and applying to co-facilitate a group seemed like a good opportunity to develop my group work skills and my understanding of domestic abuse, with the guidance and support of both my own senior and the CEDAR co-ordinator I worked with. My senior recognised it as an opportunity for me to develop professionally, and also as a means of bringing new and specific knowledge and approaches into the team. Our service often works with families who are experiencing or have experienced domestic abuse, so there was little question that creating a stronger link with CEDAR would be worthwhile.

During my first group I learned a lot about theoretical perspectives on domestic abuse through activities contained in the women’s programme. I benefited from delivering activities based around theories that I now know underpin much of the practice of domestic abuse agencies (the ‘power and control wheel’, the basics of cognitive behavioural therapy, solution focused models, risk assessment and safety planning, as well as of course learning so much from being exposed to the women’s personal stories. Working alongside women who were living through the aftermath of domestic abuse was humbling and rewarding. Some of the women were rebuilding their families after decades of abuse, and their determination to make things better for their children was evident. What amazed me even more was the support they offered one another. It seemed that even in the middle of crises, or when their own outlook was so bleak, they were always ready to listen to and understand each other.

I have now co-facilitated several women and children’s groups with CEDAR, and have become much more confident in many ways. I am now familiar with the content of both programmes, which puts me in a position where I can now try to develop my practice in other aspects of the work, such as paying more attention to group dynamics, and ‘fine-tuning’ or adapting some of the activities to more precisely meet the needs and learning styles of a particular group. I have a lot of faith in Cedar’s ability to help families, and think it is a programme with many merits (namely, the it’s concurrent nature, and the fact that it is ‘psycho-educational’). Most importantly, I think CEDAR creates a safe environment for learning and feeling, where mistakes are permitted and people are valued, and this, in my opinion, greatly benefits service-users and facilitators alike.

Kiran McConnell
Edinburgh Cedar Facilitator

Session 5 – Safety Planning

This week was all about how to keep safe if fighting is happening. We spoke about how Mikey and Jools kept themselves safe and the different places they could hide. We learnt that if we were worried or in danger we can call the police – dial 999. The police came to visit us and spoke to us about safety. Their names were Sarah and Gordon, they were really fun and let us wear their hats, vests and belts.
I felt really scared when they came into the room and I wanted to hide under the table. I didn’t say anything. My tummy felt a bit funny, like it was turning.

When they started to tell us about how the Police are there to keep us safe I felt better. Sometimes it gets scary when the police come to your house. The police came and took my dad away he is still in prison. I don’t see him much and I miss him. Mum says that he is not a bad man, he just did bad things. I think I want to be a policeman one day.

Edinburgh Boy 8

I broke down in group when I was told that it wasn’t my fault. No one can really understand unless they’ve been in this situation, it’s so hard. The abuser broke me down piece by piece. He controlled everything. I didn’t see it sneaking up on me until it was too late. I had no confidence and could not even look people in the eye. Bobby told me that Cedar would not change my life completely but it was one step closer to healing. All I can say is that she was wrong, Cedar has changed my life.

Thank you to Bobby, Kiran and the women in my group for helping me.

Edinburgh Mum

Feelings masks

treasure chests