ABSTRACT
In our work with children and their families where violence is of concern, we often find that the child’s version of events has been neglected. This is not to say that adults are not concerned about children’s experiences and do not try to talk to children about their experiences, but rather that somehow, telling others about what happened is something that children are not always asked about or even able to do. This can be for many reasons. We have found that adults vary a lot in their ability to hear what children are saying, because it is so hard to hear and to take action around children. Similarly we have found that children dare not speak, may not trust adults enough to speak, but can speak if they think they will be heard. In this chapter we want to explore how we, as practitioners, can help create the conditions that allow children to talk about their experiences of seeing one loved family member hurt another loved family member. And how, in talking about their experiences, they can be helped to confront their anxiety, process their emotional responses and develop their understanding of the meaning of these events.
