For some parents, being at home with their children means facing threats, abuse and violent outbursts. How can they cope in the isolation of lockdown?

Julie found out you could buy large knives on the internet when she witnessed her son brandishing one and slashing the furniture at home.

In the past couple of months, she says she has had to call the police twice to their home, most recently as she was barricaded in the bathroom while her son – a young adult – tried to break down the door with a knife. Now the family are living in lockdown together, struggling with isolation, a loss of their support network and a claustrophobic atmosphere that Julie describes as a “tinderbox”.

She says she believes her son when he told police that he never meant to hurt her, that he just wanted her to know how angry he was. But incidents of intimidation happen two or three times a week, she says.

Liam suffered trauma as a child and has learning difficulties which affect memory, emotional regulation and social skills. The family manage his aggressive outbursts with the help of a list of friends and supporters who come round at a moment’s notice to help defuse tensions. But these coping techniques are threatened by the social distancing rules. Read more

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