Parents and Carers
HAVOCA is principally involved with providing support to people who have been directly abused as children. But we mustn’t forget that for every victim of child abuse, on average, three other people are also affected, either directly or indirectly, by the abuse. These might be the victim’s future partner or a family member. In particular being the non-abusing Parent or Carer who has discovered their child has been abused is also extremely traumatic.
If you fall into this category then I expect your immediate thoughts and plans lay with your child’s recovery and healing journey. To help you through their recovery process we already have a section dedicated to helping you provide the support that they need. Click here to go there now.
However, what is commonly overlooked is the effects the abuse has on you as well. You must remember and acknowledge that you are a victim too. You not only have their trauma to cope with, but you are also subjected to your own trauma and dealing with the pain associated with their terrible history.
I must add that I am not a parent and have mainly cobbled together this section as a request from a concerned Parent. I have used aspects of this site and changed and amended parts to make it more appropriate to the parent/carer audience. I am not an expert! I would appreciate as much feedback as possible please, in order that I can continue to build this section and also evaluate its usefulness. In other words, please bear with me!
Finally, it has to be said that in an ideal world, this part of the website deserves it’s own website so that it can be targeted at the correct audience, but for now it will have to suffice with being a part of the ‘bigger’ picture. I hope this arrangement isn’t disrespectful to any parent or carer who feels they need their own separate recognition.