New activity and colouring book launched to support child victims of domestic abuse
The book is now given to children by officers at domestic abuse callouts
A new activity and colouring book designed to help children who witness domestic abuse is being handed out by Northamptonshire Police.
Created by children’s author Julia G Fox, the book aims to provide comfort and highlight the important role of police officers in the community.
Julia, who is herself a survivor of domestic abuse, drew on her own experiences to develop the resource.
Julia grew up in Russia in an abusive household with an alcoholic father and later found herself trapped in another abusive relationship after moving to the UK.
It was a domestic incident in 2020 that led Northamptonshire Police to intervene, triggering memories from her childhood and inspiring her to design the book.
Julia said: “In the 1970s and 80s, the police hardly ever, if at all, got involved with domestic abuse incidents, leaving the victims to fend for themselves or to rely on the help of neighbours and friends.
“Being the eldest sibling, it was my job to alert our neighbours when my father became violent and getting my brother out of the house safely. Then when I became a domestic abuse victim as an adult, I found out that I was a prime candidate for such a relationship.
“Being from an immigrant background and from a country where government institutions weren’t trusted, I was reluctant to contact authorities and ask for help. It wasn’t until 2020 that I first contacted Northamptonshire Police after a domestic abuse incident.
“This gave me flashbacks to my childhood and made me think of all the children who become victims of the domestic abuse and how these relationships affect their mental health and well-being.
“I came up with the idea of creating an activity book for younger children and through various puzzles and storytelling, highlight the important role of the police officer in our communities, and I am delighted to be working with Northamptonshire Police.”
The initiative has received funding from the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone’s community scheme, enabling the book to be rolled out across the Force.
When attending domestic abuse incidents where children are present, officers are being encouraged to distribute the book to offer comfort and support.
Detective Inspector Hayley Thurston, who collaborated with Julia on the project, said:
“When we are working with victims of domestic abuse, we are aware children must not be overlooked when officers attend their homes to deal with an incident, at what can often be a very confusing and frightening time for them.
“However, we also recognise that it is not always easy to talk to children, but the fantastic book that Julia has created will make a huge difference to how officers attending domestic abuse incidents interact with them.
“We hope that the book will not only bring some comfort to those children who need it, but also to help officers gain the trust of the child, whose voice should never go unheard.”
Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone added:
“For a child to witness domestic abuse is a dreadful experience that can have a lifelong impact, as Julia tells us.
“The specialist teams in my office and police officers work to support children in those circumstances, and this book is an important tool to help them in their work. It is a pleasure to be able to support such a fantastic initiative.”
Anyone who is suffering from domestic abuse is urged to call their local police on 101 or, in emergencies, dial 999.