What about my children?
Children make up over 60% of the residents of NYWS. We offer age-appropriate programs and support, with 2 children's play areas and an outdoor playground.
We are also a pet-friendly shelter and pets are seen as part of your family here.
Violence in the home affects children, too.
“Even when children are not direct targets of violence in the home, they can be harmed by witnessing its occurrence. Children who live in situations of family violence can suffer immediate and permanent physical harm. They can also experience short and long-term emotional, behavioural and developmental problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder.
“It is known that witnessing family violence is as harmful as experiencing it directly. Often parents believe that they have shielded their children from intimate partner violence, but research indicates that children see or hear many of the incidents. Children who witness family violence suffer the same consequences as those who are directly abused. In other words, a child who witnesses intimate partner violence is experiencing a form of child abuse.”
Behaviours you may see in children after experiencing violence at home:
Emotional and relational responses - Withdrawal, appearing to shut down, clinginess, separation anxiety, fear of the violent parent, over-attaching to the violent parent
Behavioural responses - Regressive behaviour that seems ‘too young’ for their age, aggression toward peers, siblings, or adults, acting out violent scenarios in play, testing of rules and boundaries
Cognitive responses - talking about violent events, hypervigilance, startling easily, difficulty concentrating, learning, or making decisions
Physical responses - headaches, stomachaches, fatigue, differences in appetite