‘Reducing Conflict - Improving Lives’ – new report

Date: 6th March 2017
Category: Parental responsibilities

A new report highlights how conflict at home causes mental health problems, family breakdown and at worst young people leaving, or being asked to leave the family home.

Every year across Scotland, 4,450 young people - the equivalent of five high schools - become homeless due to family relationship breakdown: the biggest single cause of youth homelessness annually.

But the charity behind the report - Cyrenians' Scottish Centre for Conflict Resolution (SCCR) - believes this is just the tip of the iceberg, with many others households struggling alone behind closed doors, or youngsters' sofa surfing after family arguments or falling between the gaps of youth and homelessness services.

According to the SCCR's snapshot of family conflict behind closed doors:

• 45% of young people and 75% of parents say conflict at home happens at least weekly.
• 18% of young people think about leaving home due to arguments at home at least on a monthly basis.
• 76% of parents and 30% of young people said that arguments at home have affected their mental health.
• Read the press release here.
• Visit the webpage on 'Transforming Conflict - Nurturing Human Relationships' here.
• Download the 'Reducing Conflict - Improving Lives' report here.