Family Now
Family Now is a 9-week group programme that explores how domestic abuse can affect women as mothers. It aims to empower and support survivors in their role as mothers, and addresses the developmental and emotional needs of children and young people who have lived with domestic abuse.
The programme has been designed to be interactive, inclusive and educational. In Family Now, you will explore how domestic abuse can affect parenting, signs of healthy relationships and strategies to resolve familial conflict.
"Family Now was so helpful and educational, it was so lovely to meet other survivors"
Who is Family Now for?
Family Now is for mothers, aged 16 and above, who live in Canterbury, Ashford and Folkestone & Hythe, and have experienced domestic abuse. The programme is only suitable for mothers who are no longer in the abusive relationship.
Through Family Now, you will meet other mothers who have survived domestic abuse, and also want to further understand the impact it’s had on their child. In this group of peers, you will find a safe space to feel validated, heard and supported.
We highly recommend that mothers complete Phoenix before attending Family Now. Through Phoenix, you will develop a deeper understanding of domestic abuse and have the space to process your own experiences, before exploring the impact the abuse has had on your children.
When and where is Family Now run?
Rising Sun coordinates and manages several Family Now programmes throughout the year in safe locations in Canterbury and Ashford. There are also opportunities to take part in an online Family Now if you’re unable to attend a face-to-face group.
Family Now runs for a 9-week period, with weekly group sessions lasting between 1.5 – 2 hours.
The programme is only suitable for you if you’re no longer in an abusive relationship, and you’re not at immediate risk from your ex-partner. To ensure the safety of everyone attending, we use a number of locations for the group. You will be notified of the location for the group once your attendance has been confirmed.
What will I gain from Family Now?
Family Now aims to help you and your children move past abuse to live a healthier and happier life. It does this through:
- Helping you understand your role as a mother in addressing the developmental and emotional needs of your child who has lived with domestic abuse
- Illustrating the effects of domestic abuse on yourself and children
- Providing support for improving ways of resolving conflict
- Helping you recognise healthy and unhealthy relationships in the future
- Increasing your self-esteem and confidence as a mother
- Building support networks with those with similar experiences
- Sharing community resources for further support
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, mothers living in Canterbury, Ashford or Folkestone & Hythe can attend a Family Now group programme.
Currently, we only deliver the groups in Canterbury and Ashford but women in Folkstone & Hythe are able to travel to the groups.
If you fit the following criteria, you can be referred into Family Now by a professional or you can refer yourself.
- Are a woman who has experienced domestic abuse
- Are a mother whose children have witnessed/or experienced domestic abuse
- Are aged 16 and above
- Live in Canterbury, Ashford or Folkestone & Hythe
- Are no longer in an abusive relationship, and are not at immediate risk from an ex-partner
Once you’ve been referred into the Family Now programme, you will be placed onto a waiting list. When spaces become available, a member of our team will then be in touch to talk through the programme and check that it’s suitable for you. If suitable, you will be placed onto an upcoming Family Now group.
We have a choice of face-to-face, or online groups during the day.
The location of face-to-face groups is kept confidential until the start of the group to ensure the safety of those attending.
No, Family Now is strictly for mothers who are no longer in an abusive relationship.
If you’re still in an abusive relationship, you may be able to access Phoenix which explores how to stay safe when you’re in and out of an abusive relationship.
We highly recommend that mothers complete Phoenix before attending Family Now. Through Phoenix, you will develop a deeper understanding of domestic abuse and have the space to process your own experiences, before exploring the impact the abuse has had on your children.
We aim to run Family Now within community centres that have creche facilities available for the women attending the group, free of charge to you. This isn’t always possible though due to availability of spaces and dates. If you require creche facilities, please ask your facilitator.
Within Family Now, the safety of mum is our priority. The group programme may cover aspects of CAPVA and EBSA (emotional based social avoidance). While our facilitators are highly-trained domestic abuse professionals, they are not qualified in CAPVA. If you disclose CAPVA, our facilitators will talk about it with you, and signpost you to further professional support.
You have complete autonomy over your choice to attend Family Now. We always recommend that you come along to the first session of the group to try it, and if you don’t like it, you can stop.
We recognise that attending group support can stir up a mixture of emotions and that this can be overwhelming. If you attend your first session and feel that you’re not ready, you can stop and attend a future Family Now when you feel ready.
Each group is different, but we aim to have between 10-15 mothers in each group. We like to keep Family Now groups relatively small to allow space for everyone to have time to speak, to listen to others and to create bonds with one another.
If you attend the first session of Family Now and realise that you know someone in the group, please tell the facilitator. We will chat this through with you in a sensitive and careful manner and will follow your wishes and support you in finding a solution that you’re comfortable with.
Together, you and the facilitator can speak through your options, and you will never be made to stay in a group that you don’t feel safe or comfortable in.
Domestic abuse erodes self-esteem and social skills, damages family intimacy, harms children, reduces the capacity for parenting and creates intense feelings of shame, guilt, isolation and loneliness.
In stark contrast to abuse, support groups lessen isolation and establish social bonds. Sharing life stories can combat feelings of shame and guilt; women can find help and learn coping strategies, whilst lessening their sense of inadequacy.