In Australia it is estimated that 25% of women who experience DV have children in their care; many children are consequently exposed to DV during childhood and/or adolescence. There are known impacts of this exposure for children, including social, interpersonal, and mental health impacts. Thus, it is likely that assistance from practitioners will be sought in attempts to address these impacts. However, training for many practitioners around the experiences and impacts of growing up in DV is inconsistent in Australia, and often relies on the practitioner seeking out this specialised knowledge.
As part of a national study exploring how young people who have grown up in DV form healthy relationships as adults, this secondary analysis aimed to explore young people’s experiences with various practitioners. Attention was paid to survey and interview data which highlighted these experiences.
Nearly all participants mentioned experiences with counsellors or psychologists. When they had not been referred for counselling as children, many participants had sought out psychological and/or counselling services in adulthood as a direct result of growing up in DV. Experiences with practitioners were mixed, with some participants describing counselling and therapy as positive and others stating that they did not receive the support and understanding that they expected or needed. Many participants stated that practitioners often did not seem to have the right training to understand the impacts of growing up in DV.
Key learnings:
- Young people often struggled to find practitioners who understood the impacts of growing up in DV and did not feel validated in their experiences
- Counsellors and psychologists were often cited by young people as significant forms of support when they centred their experiences
- More focused and consistently provided training about the experiences and impacts of growing up in DV is needed for practitioners in Australia

It is often assumed that children who grow up in domestic violence will go on to perpetrate or be victims of domestic violence themselves. Funded by the Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation we conducted a 2-year study exploring what enables young people to create healthy relationships despite growing up in domestic violence.
The study explored the lived experiences and expertise of two hundred and three, 18-30 years old’s who had grown up in domestic violence. A national survey collected information about what helped when they were enduring domestic violence as children. In addition, to reach for deeper insights and understanding, 14 interviews were conducted with young people who were interested in telling us more. A thematic analysis of the survey and interview data drew out themes about what helped.
From the perspective of the young people who participated, informal supports that helped included supportive relationships with other family members, friends and friend’s parents, schoolteachers, and school counsellors. Involvement and achievement in activities outside home such as sports groups and hobbies helped to retain self-worth. Information gained through media and social media leading to connections with others who had similar experiences, helped young people to identify that they were not alone. Young people said that gaining knowledge about domestic violence and what defines a healthy relationship as part of their education would have helped them know that domestic violence was not acceptable.
Key learnings: There are multiple factors during childhood that can help children reflect and create healthy relationships as young adults. Facilitating knowledge sharing about domestic violence and healthy relationships to promote everyone’s ability to enable prevention, early Intervention and education is crucial. Children and young people growing up in domestic violence now can be helped to see themselves as having choices.