For a child affected by domestic abuse, school can be one of the few parts of life that remains familiar and predictable. The most useful support you can provide is often practical. Making sure the child knows who they can turn to, responding thoughtfully when attendance or learning becomes harder, and removing unnecessary barriers without lowering expectations. Schools do not need to solve what is happening at home. They do need to create an environment where the child can stay connected to learning, relationships and everyday school life, and without being put into the position of having to keep explaining what they have experienced.
Make the school day predictable and manageable
Clear routines can help children know what to expect from the school day. Giving advance warning about changes, keeping boundaries consistent and making expectations clear can all reduce unnecessary uncertainty. Familiar lessons, activities and friendships can also provide a sense of continuity when other parts of life are changing. Support does not need to make the child’s school experience completely different. Wherever possible, it should help them stay involved in ordinary school life, understand what is expected of them and know where to go if they need help.
Give the child reliable adults and a clear route to support
A child should know which adults they can turn to when they need help. This might be a teacher, pastoral member of staff, designated safeguarding lead or another adult they already trust. They should also understand what will happen if they ask for support, including when information may need to be shared to keep them safe. Adults should listen carefully, explain this clearly and avoid making promises about confidentiality that they cannot keep. Support should not depend on one person being available. If a trusted adult is absent, the child should know who else they can go to.
Respond to attendance, behaviour and learning in context
Domestic abuse can make school harder to manage. A child may miss lessons, arrive late, struggle to concentrate or fall behind with their work. The school’s response can either help them re-engage or add to the difficulty. For example, repeated sanctions for lateness may remove even more learning time, while missed work can quickly become another source of pressure. Understanding the child’s circumstances does not mean removing boundaries or expectations. It means considering what will help them take part, catch up and stay connected to learning. Where possible, the response should address the difficulty the child is facing rather than applying the same consequence automatically.
Make practical adjustments without removing expectations
Small adjustments can make the school day easier to manage without lowering expectations. Depending on the child, this might mean extra help catching up after an absence, more time to settle, clearer instructions, access to a quieter space or temporary flexibility around a particular task. The aim is to remove barriers that are making it harder for the child to take part, while keeping them connected to learning and school life. EdShift’s work with children and schools reflects this individual approach. The same adjustment will not help every child, so support should respond to what that particular child is finding difficult. Wherever possible, adjustments should help the child stay involved in lessons, friendships, activities and the ordinary routines of school.
Use information well without making the child retell everything
A child should not have to keep explaining what has happened before support is put in place. Sometimes the school may already have relevant safeguarding information. Through Operation Encompass, for example, a designated safeguarding lead can receive information after a police-attended domestic abuse incident. This means the school can consider what support may be needed before the child returns, without expecting them to recount what happened. Within school, information should be shared carefully and only with the people who need it. Staff may need to know what support has been agreed, who the child can go to for help or how to respond if a difficulty arises. They do not all need to know the details of the child’s family circumstances. Good information-sharing can help staff provide consistent support while protecting the child’s privacy and reducing the need for them to repeat sensitive information. Keeping Children Safe in Education requires schools to act on safeguarding concerns, record and share information appropriately and follow their child-protection procedures.
Good support should not depend on one person
A trusted adult can make a real difference, but support should not stop if that person is absent. The school needs a clear and consistent approach so the child continues to receive support when different teachers are involved or when they move class or year group. The Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s research into children’s experiences of domestic abuse calls for a whole-school approach, including staff understanding, clear safeguarding systems, good record keeping and links with specialist services. Not every teacher needs to know the details of the child’s circumstances. Relevant staff do need to know what support has been agreed and how to respond consistently. Training is also important. When staff understand how domestic abuse can affect children, they are better able to respond thoughtfully while following the school’s safeguarding procedures.
Know when school support is not enough
School can provide stability, trusted relationships and practical day-to-day support, but some children will need more than this. That may include early help, specialist domestic-abuse services or therapeutic support alongside what school provides. EdShift supports children who need additional creative or therapeutic help, while also working with schools and professionals to strengthen the support around them. School staff can continue providing consistency and appropriate adjustments while helping the child access specialist support where needed. If there is a concern about a child’s safety or welfare, staff should follow the school’s safeguarding procedures and involve the designated safeguarding lead or deputy.
Supporting a child affected by domestic abuse?
EdShift supports children and young people affected by domestic abuse through creative, trauma-informed and therapeutic support. We also help schools and professionals understand children’s experiences and respond with greater confidence.
If you are concerned that a child may be at risk of harm, follow the safeguarding procedures relevant to your role or organisation, or contact the appropriate local safeguarding service.
If someone is in immediate danger, call 999.
