Unfortunately, we are not currently excepting referrals to this service – 12/10/2023
CODA is a 12-week psychoeducational programme for women & children who have experienced Domestic Abuse. It provides a community based setting for children to share and talk about their experiences, so they understand abuse, reduce their self-blame, can do some planning to keep themselves safe, and learn how to manage their emotions so they can be expressed appropriately.
CODA enables the recovery process and aims to:
- Validate the children’s experiences
- Reduce the self-blame that is commonly associated with children experiencing abuse
- Develop a child-appropriate safety plan
- Manage appropriate and inappropriate expressions of emotion
- Enhance the mother-child relationship
- Enable both the mother and child to heal together
There is a separate programme for the children and the mothers, these run concurrently. It can be delivered as both a group programme and 1 to 1. It is a Canadian group work model adapted for the UK by AVA (Against Violence and Abuse).
A new digital offer was developed, by EYA Lewisham Children and Family Centres alongside AVA, during the Covid 19 Pandemic – to ensure fidelity to the CODA programme and enable standardisation across the multi-agency delivery model. This included scrutinising each session and adapting every activity to ensure it translated effectively to online delivery, whilst replicating the group experience. Particular care was taken to ensure the potentially triggering nature of the sensitive material covered could be done safely online. An additional online ‘top-up’ training session for facilitators has been created and is now considered a pre-requisite to delivery. The training package upskills practitioners and increases their confidence in two key areas: (1) the use of Zoom as a vehicle to facilitate a safe space for women and children to process their experiences, in a way that continues to maintain their confidentiality and privacy; (2) to effectively facilitate the adapted, online-friendly activities.
Frequently Asked Questions – CODA Programme
What does the CODA Programme seek to achieve?
The CODA programme is a twelve-week psychoeducational programme for women and children who have experienced domestic abuse. It seeks to enable the recovery process and aims to:
- Validate the children’s experiences.
- Reduce the self-blame that is commonly associated with children experiencing abuse.
- Develop a child-appropriate safety plan.
- Manage appropriate and inappropriate expressions of emotion.
- Enhance the mother-child relationship.
- Enable both the mother and child to heal together.
How are the groups structured?
The CODA Programme runs for twelve weeks with the women and children’s sessions running concurrently and each week focusing on a specific theme. The children’s sessions are also divided into age-specific groups and both the women’s sessions and the children’s sessions follow the same structure every week in order to provide a sense of continuity. This may include the following:
- Check-In
- Discussion
- Activity
- Check-Out
Are there any contraindications that would mean that the CODA programme is not the appropriate service right now?
Due to the CODA Programme being a recovery programme, we do not accept referrals where the perpetrator or alleged perpetrator is still residing in the family home.
We also do not accept referrals where children are on Child Protection Plans. We, as a service, are committed to ensuring that women and children receive the right support at the right time so please email enquiries@lewishamcfc.org.
Are you currently delivering virtually?
Yes. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have turned our attention to delivering the CODA Programme virtually via Zoom. We have ensured that the necessary precautions have been taken in order for delivery to take place safely online.
Should attendance be mandated as part of a statutory response?
No. Attendance should not be mandated as part of a statutory response. It is the woman and child’s choice to attend – they must do so voluntarily.
Impact of the CODA Programme
The videos below illustrate the impact that our recovery support – in the form of the CODA Programme – has had on children. Using the voices of the children, these powerful videos encapsulate the child’s lived experience and what they have gained as a result of attending the CODA Programme.
(Note: the children’s voices have been disguised to maintain their anonymity).
The Children Overcoming Domestic Abuse (CODA) Under 4s Pilot
The CODA Under 4s pilot has been authorised by Jo Sharpen and Roz Davidson on behalf of AVA (Against Violence and Abuse), and aims to address the impact of domestic abuse from in utero and from birth until the age of four years.
Running concurrently, CODA Under 4s provides two-hour sessions for mothers and their children on a weekly basis. Each week covers a specific theme and programmes are divided into age appropriate groups based on the children’s developmental stage: pre-crawlers, crawlers and walkers.
The aims of CODA Under 4s are similar to CODA, with a specific focus on: strengthening attachment and enabling both mother and child to heal together; improving participants’ understanding of psychoeducational parenting; improving participants’ understanding of neuroscience, the importance of play and developmental trauma.
Frequently Asked Questions – CODA Under 4s Programme
What does the CODA Under 4s Programme seek to achieve?
The CODA Under 4s programme aims to:
- Enhance the mother-child relationship.
- Enable both the mother and child to heal together.
- Strengthen attachment and attunement
- Illuminate how the tactics employed by the perpetrator has impacted on the victim/survivor’s mothering
- Improve participants’ understanding of
psychoeducational parenting
- Improving participants’ understanding of neuroscience, the importance of play and developmental trauma
How are the groups structured?
The CODA Under 4s Programme runs for eight weeks. Mothers spend one hour separately from their child, with them reuniting with their child for snack time followed by a forty-five minute joint session with mothers, children and facilitators.
Every week has a specific focus, and the structure of the sessions are the same to generate familiarity and comfort. This may include the following:
- Check-In
- Discussion
- Activity
- Check-Out
Programmes are divided into age appropriate groups based on the children’s developmental stage: pre-crawlers, crawlers and walkers. This is determined via the assessment process.
Are there any contraindications that would mean that the CODA Under 4s Programme is not the appropriate service right now?
Due to the CODA Under 4s Programme being a recovery programme, we do not accept referrals where the perpetrator or alleged perpetrator is still residing in the family home.
We also do not accept referrals where children are on Child Protection Plans. We, as a service, are committed to ensuring that women and children receive the right support at the right time so please email enquiries@lewishamcfc.org.
Are you currently delivering virtually?
No. The CODA Under 4s Programme has not yet been adapted for virtual delivery as it is still in the pilot phase.No. The CODA Under 4s Programme has not yet been adapted for virtual delivery as it is still in the pilot phase.
Should attendance be mandated as part of a statutory response?
No. Attendance should not be mandated as part of a statutory response. It is the woman’s and child’s choice to attend – they must do so voluntarily.
