Thousands of West Midlands children victims of domestic violence - with figures showing age group most impacted

Data released in a Freedom of Information Request to West Midlands Police shows that 6,818 victims of domestic abuse between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2024 were under the age of 18. 

Figures also showed that older children, aged between 13 and 17 years old, made up over 83% (5,678) of the child victims during that time period.

The younger age groups had significantly lower figures, with 440 victims aged 0 to 5 and 677 aged 6 to 16. 

Ages of 23 victims, who are reportedly under 18, were not documented. 

This data was recorded from 6,791 domestic abuse crimes dealt with by West Midlands Police. Over 1,300 of these crimes involved violence with injury. 

Speaking about the data to the Express & Star,  Detective Superintendent David Keen from our Child Public Protection Unit said: “Where children are identified as being the victims of domestic abuse, we have specialist officers on hand who are experienced with supporting young people.

“We will work closely with partners such as social services and, where appropriate, we will arrange joint visits to families. Through Op Encompass, which is an initiative involving police and schools, children who have been exposed to domestic abuse are offered immediate support.

“When we attend incidents of domestic violence or abuse where children are present, education professionals are notified and safeguarding is put in place. We're committed to working with partners to ensure the safety of young people in the West Midlands, and to ensure the right organisations are in place to support them.”

Children's welfare charity, NSPCC have also revealed they have dealt with more than 7,800 calls concerning domestic abuse where a child's safety has been concerned. 

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Being exposed to domestic abuse , whether directly or indirectly, can have a devastating impact on children. Domestic abuse undermines a child's basic need for safety and security, can have a serious effect on a child's behaviour, brain development, education outcomes and overall wellbeing.  

“Last year the NSPCC Helpline handled 7,825 child welfare contacts from adults where the main concern was domestic abuse. This is a 14% rise from 2023/24 and the highest annual total since the Helpline began recording domestic abuse as a main concern in 2021/22.

“The NSPCC runs Domestic Abuse Recovering Together (DART), a face-to-face programme to help children and mothers get back on track after experiencing domestic abuse. Over 10 weeks, mothers and children aged seven to 14 meet to explore their experiences, learn coping strategies and rebuild their individual parent-child relationships which may have suffered during the abuse.

“Some teenagers worry that being raised in an abusive environment will affect future relationships, while some may not realise the behaviour they see at home is abusive. To help explore this, the NSPCC created It's Not Love - a play and workshop which explores appropriate and inappropriate behaviour in relationships for secondary schools, to help young people identify abuse or coercive control and know how they can seek support for themselves or others.

“Anyone who has concerns about a child's welfare or safety or wants information about support available for those who’ve suffered abuse, can contact our free and confidential helpline on 0808 800 5000 or by emailing [email protected]. Children can contact the NSPCC's Childline service on 0800 1111. "