"Maria" ended up in A and E after being assaulted by her 11-year-old child. There’s nothing unusual about children being rude or sometimes abusive to their parents, particularly when they’re adolescents. But some parents are attacked and abused by their children on a regular basis. It’s a pattern of behaviour that can begin as young as three years old and become unmanageable by teenage years.

Many parents remain silent out of shame and out of fear of the consequences if they seek help, worried that their child may be taken into care or criminalised. So it’s a hidden problem. The issue is now on the government’s agenda with a consultation that’s aiming to find a common definition for the issue. Jo Glanville talks to parents, practitioners and researchers about what happens in families when a child becomes violent, what should be done to support them and what lies behind this kind of behaviour.

Presented and Produced by Jo Glanville
Executive Editor: Bridget Harney
Research: Maia Miller-Lewis
Studio Manager: Jon Calver
Actors: Jayne Ashbourne and Juliet Cowan
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

Organisations in the programme offering information or support on child to parent violence:

Family Lives
Parentline family support and bullying helpline | Family Lives
https://www.familylives.org.uk/how-we-can-help/confidential-helpline

CAPA First Response
Capa First Response | You are not alone - Capa First Response
https://capafirstresponse.org/

Talk Listen Change
Young People’s Programmes - TLC: Talk, Listen, Change (talklistenchange.org.uk)
https://talklistenchange.org.uk/project/young-peoples-programmes/

Holes in the Wall
HOLES IN THE WALL | documenting parent abuse
https://holesinthewall.co.uk/