Harbour's Children' and Young People's team works with children aged 3 -16 who have or are living with domestic abuse . Services include one to one support and group work sessions. The team also work with young people in schools to promote healthy and respectful relationships.

The service aims to enable children and young people to maintain their safety and deal with the consequences of their experiences through a variety of therapeutic interventions.

Harbour has worked for over 40 years to improve the quality of life for families and individuals experiencing domestic abuse. It operates across Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool, County Durham, North Tyneside and Darlington. It offers refuge services, adult and children's support, a sexual violence counselling programme, a male Preventions Programme, and Group Programmes. In addition to direct support, the organisation works to educate the wider community about the issues surrounding domestic abuse by providing training to statutory and voluntary agencies.

In Middlesbrough, Harbour offers a refuge service, children and adult outreach services, a perpetrator programme and the Freedom Programme.

Harbour's eligibility criteria are:

• The child must be between 3-16 years of age. (In exceptional circumstances the service accepts referrals from younger children who are verbal and older if they have special needs). 
• The child must have experienced or be experiencing the affects of domestic abuse and/or have a chaotic life style. A child or young person who is referred could also be experiencing domestic violence, or portraying signs of abusive behaviour as a result of witnessing abusive behaviour or events.
• Where a child presents with complex needs, Harbour must believe that it can effectively support the child with the issues arising from the domestic violence

The child should not present a risk to Harbour's employees

Referral form available from childrens@myharbour.org.uk