FORTY thousand children in Birmingham live in households where violence is commonplace, a shock council report revealed today.

Nov 27 2009 by Paul Dale, Birmingham Mail

Just under one in five children in the city live in fear of abusive relationships at home, or are victims of domestic violence.

They are in danger of suffering permanent psychological damage, it warned.

The alarming figures highlight the “shocking scale” of domestic abuse in Birmingham, according to Coun Margaret Sutton, who has led a scrutiny inquiry into the problem.

And Coun Les Lawrence, cabinet member for children, young people and families said he would do “everything in my power” to support the youngsters at risk.

Domestic incidents account for 22 per cent of all recorded violent crime in the West Midlands.

In a single year social workers received 14,000 urgent requests, most of them from the police, to come to the rescue of youngsters at risk.

Coun Sutton (Con, Kings Norton) said children living in households with a violent parent required significant support to stay safe.

But the inquiry identified poor co-operation between the council, police and public agencies and a “lack of clear accountability” for supporting child victims.

The council-led Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board, the body responsible for protecting youngsters, has no specialist in domestic violence on its executive, it revealed

And the council has only one officer responsible for co-ordinating action against domestic violence, and she does not focus solely on children.

Coun Sutton warned the consequences of witnessing domestic abuse would stay with children throughout their lives.

“The city council needs to provide both adequate resources and leadership to meet the challenge of providing city-wide coordination in order to respond adequately to the needs of children and young people who experience and witness domestic abuse,” she said.

“Failure to do this risks young people entering exploitive and abusive relationships of their own and perpetuating the cycle of abuse in future generations.”

Coun Lawrence, said: “I welcome the scrutiny report which represents a serious examination of the challenges facing children who experience and witness domestic abuse.

“Tackling domestic abuse and supporting victims is challenging as it requires a lot of agencies to work together.

“However, I am committed to doing everything in my power to ensure we provide the best possible support to the young victims of domestic abuse.”

* Anyone experiencing domestic violence who wants to talk in confidence can call the freephone 24-hour national helpline on 0808 2000 247, which is run in partnership between Refuge and Women’s Aid.

* Our Say

* Have you been victim of domestic violence? Contact the Birmingham Mail, in confidence, on 0121 234 5499.