My Violent Child

Across the UK thousands of families are suffering from a new form of domestic abuse so extraordinary that many refuse to even acknowledge its existence. Helplines receive over 11,000 calls a year from adults being physically abused in their home. The victims cannot leave, however, as the abuse is coming from their own children. This one-off documentary looks at the hidden world of child-on-parent violence. It follows three families’ poignant journeys as they struggle to cope with their children’s complex behavioural issues whilst also being forced to ask themselves what they could be doing differently.

Marcel believes that his Asperger's syndrome is behind the outbursts that have seen him throttle both his parents, and nine-year-old Toby's violence is seriously affecting his parents and their three other children.

Preston mum Tracey has suffered from violence at the hands of nine-year-old Robert since he was three, and the problem is progressively getting worse. Their house is riddled with holes that he has punched in the wall and in the past the police have even had to use riot shields and tasers to control Robertʼs rages. Now that he is getting older, Tracey is terrified of what he is capable of doing next. As Robert says: “It feels like someone else taking over my body when I get angry.” The programme also tells the moving story of eight-year-old Bailey. He has been diagnosed with ADHD and does everything he can to control his anger, but cannot help lashing out at his parents. The programme follows both families on their emotional journey as they try very different approaches to solving their childrenʼs behavioural issues. Tracey works with parenting expert Ann Ramsden, who quickly gets to the heart of the problem, realising that witnessing violence at a young age has had awful repercussions. Meanwhile, Bailey and his parents work with ADHD counsellor Lorrine Marer, whose confrontational style of anger management has immediate effects, allowing Bailey to explain the heart-wrenching story of what really lies behind his anger.

The last episode in the series looks at the families of single parents that are struggling to cope on their own. Single mum of three Pauline has an 11-year-old boy and two twin 8-year-old girls, and surprisingly it is one of the twins that is the cause of the violence.