A joint report published on 21 January 2026 warns that children on Canvey Island, Essex, who live with domestic abuse are frequently overlooked as victims. Inspectors from Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) found that while police and social workers often focus on the safety of the adult, the specific trauma and needs of children in the home are being missed.
The findings from Ofsted and the other inspectorates show that agencies often treat children as witnesses rather than victims in their own right. Although the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 legally recognises these children as victims, the report says local services in Essex are struggling to put the law into practice.
The report and local stakeholders say that, in communities such as Canvey Island, specialist support is often centralised in larger towns such as Basildon or Chelmsford, and poor transport links can make it difficult for parents and children to access long-term therapeutic support after a crisis. Local services on Canvey Island include the Yellow Door youth project (Canvey Island Youth Project), which provides advice, counselling and youth support locally.
While police use Operation Encompass to notify schools before the start of the next school day when they have attended a domestic incident involving children, the report says this can become a routine paperwork task without sufficient follow-up support for the pupil. The Essex Safeguarding Children Board (ESCB) is expected to review how local agencies on the island identify and support children who have seen or heard abuse.
For residents seeking help, COMPASS/Essex Compass operates a single point of access for victims of domestic abuse across Southend, Essex and Thurrock (helpline: 0330 333 7 444). Families can also contact Essex County Council children’s services if they have concerns about a child’s safety or well‑being.
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