The largest county in Michigan has voted to recognise Child to Parent Abuse as a public concern.

Commissioners from Wayne County – which has more residents than any other county in the state – passed a resolution which states that the effects of CPA can create ‘an unsafe and unhealthy living environment’.

The resolution highlights that support services ‘specifically for parents or caregivers abuse by children are essentially non-existent’ with none of the same resources that are provided for those affected by other types of domestic abuse.

The latter point was raised by the organisation Parent Real Talk, PRT, Inc (Let’s Get Real with Parent Talk on social media), run by Tabatha Brown, who we’ve been delighted to connect with to share what PEGS is doing in the UK and hear what’s taking place in the USA.

Tabatha says: “I have read and re-read the resolution countless times and I still can’t believe it. The first time I read it, I felt excitement and fear – excitement because I know the validation and recognition alone is huge for families, and fear knowing this is only the beginning.

“I know recognising this is happening and providing the support needed to help these families are completely different.

“I firstly wanted to share it with PEGS and Michelle as I know this would not have been possible without all of your support.

“Besides contacting legislators, I am focusing heavily on raising awareness, sharing information with as many organisations as possible, and working on developing training.”

PEGS founder Michelle said she was thrilled to see progress being made over in the US.

“CPA happens across the world, so it’s fantastic to see organisations like Tabatha’s making strides to ensure parents in their countries are better supported.

“By working collaboratively and networking across the globe, we can learn from each other and make sure that CPA becomes better understood everywhere.”

Visit Parent Real Talk to find out more about the work being undertaken by Tabatha.