Study into violence against parents at Brighton university

Councillor Sue Shanks welcomes the research Councillor Sue Shanks welcomes the research

Children who violently attack their parents are the subject of a major study by researchers.

The University of Brighton has secured a £641,000 grant to look into the issue and raise awareness of how and why young people become violent.

Incidents are said to involve young teenage boys and girls who use physical or psychological abuse to gain power, usually over their mothers.

Academics will be working with Brighton and Hove City Council and universities and institutes from Ireland, Spain, Bulgaria and Sweden as part of a project on child to parent violence (CPV).

The aim is to find out how countries across Europe handle the problem and to find ways to provide support and increase awareness in the UK.

Paula Wilcox, principal lecturer in the university’s school of applied social science, said: “This problem is rarely articulated in Government policy and it remains a taboo subject that parents and carers find difficult to disclose.”

The project will assess the effectiveness of two projects which work to support parents and young people with problems, including the Break4Change scheme in Brighton and Hove.

Parents are also taught about non-violent resistance as a method of dealing with problems.

Sue Shanks, chairwoman of the city council’s children and young people committee, said: “Child-to-parent violence is unacceptable and deeply worrying, so it is vital that we look at all good practice to find out what we can do to prevent it.

“As a council, we already run innovative and targeted schemes.”

Funding for the project has been provided by the European Commission under the Daphne III programme.

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Comments(11)

sussexguy says...
7:04pm Wed 27 Feb 13

While students are struggling on their meagre grants, and Universities constantly complain about lack of funding, the University of Brighton is granted £641,00 for a ludicrous project. If parents are abused by their children, then they should report the abuse to the police, as would any other responsible adult. Being afraid of what others might think is no excuse, and if their children are taken away, then so much the better all round. Councillor Sue Shanks should get her priorities in order.

ronrostog says...
7:18pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Waste of money, Spend it on something that does not need to have the bleedin' obvious stated. Heard a report earlier saying most attacks are from boys on mothers. Bet these are boys with a mother not married or in a relationship. Facts are that society has made it acceptable for a father to be surplus to requirements in bringing up a child or children so when you get an angry lad needing guidance he won't get it from his mother that is for sure. And if she tries, said angry lad will react in an angry way. Boys need fathers (decent ones at that) who they can relate to, pass experience to and learn from especially when they get into their teens. And chances are that if his mother or father have stayed together and brought him up in a stable enviroment then chances are that he won't be that angry anyway.

Martha Gunn says...
7:55pm Wed 27 Feb 13

If parents at Brighton University are experiencing violence against them then it is high time it was studied.

Can we also apply for shed loads of European money to study shoddy headline writing which is a violence against the readership?

just-a-person says...
10:45pm Wed 27 Feb 13

ronrostog wrote:
Waste of money, Spend it on something that does not need to have the bleedin' obvious stated. Heard a report earlier saying most attacks are from boys on mothers. Bet these are boys with a mother not married or in a relationship. Facts are that society has made it acceptable for a father to be surplus to requirements in bringing up a child or children so when you get an angry lad needing guidance he won't get it from his mother that is for sure. And if she tries, said angry lad will react in an angry way. Boys need fathers (decent ones at that) who they can relate to, pass experience to and learn from especially when they get into their teens. And chances are that if his mother or father have stayed together and brought him up in a stable enviroment then chances are that he won't be that angry anyway.
Words fail me with parts of your comment.

Morpheus says...
9:51am Thu 28 Feb 13

Why do children attack their parents? Because there is no discipline in the home or in schools because of the do gooders. Please give me the money.

whereisthe...? says...
10:59am Thu 28 Feb 13

Written by a woman, backed by a woman councillor, and carried out by a woman. Looking into an issue that only women ever make an issue out of...


Well that'll be an unbiased piece of research then. Noticed this creeping rubbish - more of the "boo hoo, us poor women are under attack and EVERYONE is a potential attacker"


UTTERLY, UTTERLY INSANE. Get some THERAPY for goodness sake! So now they already have total custody of kids, right to abort whenever feel like it for whatever reason, (not arguing with any of that) ...but now those SAME kids are "scary and big and mean to me"..???!!! Oh my goodness...


Not messing around here - this is seriously a precursor to some absolutely insane notions, from some seriously troubled people.

whereisthe...? says...
11:03am Thu 28 Feb 13

and one of the posters makes a very good point, admittedly summing it up better than I have!

"bad parenting - now can I have the money?"


Its the same WOMEN (usually single parent mothers - check the FACTS) who complain this is actually an issue (and not a pathetic joke), and as the poster points out (though they did not mention women specifically), it is usually due to POOR PARENTING!!


Or do these same women who get all the custody blame the fathers for not being there..?(!)


Finally, such 'cases' are non-existent. But they are female, so lets throw money at them cos they MUST be right. What on earth have we come to??!

whereisthe...? says...
11:06am Thu 28 Feb 13

Oh, and the only REAL "Taboo subject" (mentioned in the article) is discussing the problem with way too many females attitudes to parenting, towards men, their children, and their selfishness.


They themselves have become selfish, infantile, and impossible. Where's the study into that? Oh, there will never be one. Cos its taboo to discuss women in any type of critical way. All hail the news Gods...!

ronrostog says...
6:06pm Thu 28 Feb 13

just-a-person wrote:
ronrostog wrote:
Waste of money, Spend it on something that does not need to have the bleedin' obvious stated. Heard a report earlier saying most attacks are from boys on mothers. Bet these are boys with a mother not married or in a relationship. Facts are that society has made it acceptable for a father to be surplus to requirements in bringing up a child or children so when you get an angry lad needing guidance he won't get it from his mother that is for sure. And if she tries, said angry lad will react in an angry way. Boys need fathers (decent ones at that) who they can relate to, pass experience to and learn from especially when they get into their teens. And chances are that if his mother or father have stayed together and brought him up in a stable enviroment then chances are that he won't be that angry anyway.
Words fail me with parts of your comment.
Er, why?

Maxwell's Ghost says...
11:09pm Thu 28 Feb 13

Hey where is the? Have you ever thought your anger and hate of women needs addressing?
You must terrify women and children. Get some help. Anger will eat you up and destroy you.

Magdelene says...
9:05pm Tue 5 Mar 13

Well, I'm shocked if this is a representative collection of The Argus readership and Brighton residents, but I guess not. Sounds like a lot of male chauvinists who are upset about some money coming back from the EU for a good cause!
I know a family who have suffered with a violent eldest teenage daughter for a number of years (knives, smashed windows, stealing, drugs, the lot) and they are the most loving and devoted parents who have been together for over 30 years. Their 3 other children are fine. I for one warmly welcome this funding for research and I hope Brighton University along with the other research centres across Europe make good progress on this intersting study.

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