Early years practitioners can do much to help children living amid domestic violence to develop resilience and see that there are other ways for people to relate to each other, writes Karen Stephens.

Early childhood practitioners are often the first resource beyond extended family that children encounter. That puts us in a pivotal position to reach out to victims of domestic violence early, before trauma becomes chronic and enduring.

If we are willing to break the silence that too often shelters domestic violence, we can help children and families thrive more fully for a lifetime. Their resilience will be good for us all.

To help these children, it is important that we:

- watch out for behavioural clues (see below)

- consider a cluster of such behaviours as a 'red flag' needing, immediate and thoughtful attention

- document any behavioural clues and review any patterns, as these can help staff create a co-ordinated strategy to help the child and their family

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