Promising Futures Launches

Consider this staggering statistic for a moment: over 18 million children have been exposed to family violence in our country. That’s one in four childrenwho experience violence between their parents or caregivers.

Growing up in a violent home can be a terrifying and traumatic experience for child. It can impede on their growth, development, and overall quality of life. However, some research has shown that the non-abusing parent is often the strongest protective factor in the lives of children who are exposed to domestic violence. When properly identified and addressed, the effects of violence on children can largely be mitigated, and can have a life-changing impact. For this reason, anti-violence organizations and advocates play a crucial role in facilitating this mother-child healing process.

We launched a new website called Promising Futures: Best Practices for Serving Children, Youth, and Parents Experiencing Domestic Violence (Promising Futures), to help advocates and organizations support children and parents facing domestic violence. The website includes a variety of resources—including best practices, evaluation tools, research-informed strategies, and more—to strengthen the mother-child relationship and mitigate the negative effects of domestic abuse on the child.

We hope that our new Department of Health and Human Services-funded project will provide children and their families with the support they need and help break the cycle of violence.