Merton Council is seeing positive results from its targeted interventions to address child-to-parent abuse. These interventions aim to improve family relationships and reduce harmful behaviours. According to a recent report presented to the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Panel, these efforts are showing promise.
The report highlighted that in the first quarter of 2025-26, the specialist practitioner supported 13 children across 12 families. Of those, five families completed their intervention and reported an improvement in family relationships, along with a reduction in harmful behaviours that escalate to violence and aggression. The interventions lead to an increased awareness by the parents about their role in managing incidents, which helped them to feel confident to de-escalate during moments of conflict.
All participating families also indicated an increased awareness of the parents' role in managing incidents, which helped them feel more confident in de-escalating conflicts. The report also notes that since April 2025, all children and their carers who have received support have been supported to remain at home in their families.
The report stated that families receiving the intervention continue to be open about their challenges, which is helping in the support required in a more holistic and effective manner. There are collaborative efforts among professionals in identifying the most effective points for intervention which enhances the quality of intervention provided to children and families.
Improvements in communication around cancellation policies is helping to reduce wait times for families seeking assistance and all children on the waiting list from the last quarter were supported, demonstrating the commitment to addressing the needs of families and ensuring that no child is left without the support they require.
The funding for the project through the VRU ends in September 25; however, short term funding has been identified to enable the practitioner delivering the interventions to families to continue in post until March 26. The Public reports pack provides further details on the funding situation.