Victoria hid on the stairs as a child. Today she helps Jump Up support children and adults affected by domestic abuse across Kent and Sussex. Safe, confidential help.
For Victoria, that child was a little girl sitting frightened on the stairs. She remembers hiding there while her father was violent towards her mother. She would hear what was happening, crying and waiting until her mother called out that it was safe.
Those experiences never really left her. Today, Victoria is part of Jump Up, a local organisation supporting women, men, and children across Kent and Sussex who have been affected by domestic abuse.
What Support Does Jump Up Offer?
Jump Up provides a safe, confidential space for anyone who has experienced domestic abuse—whether it happened recently or years ago. Our services include:
- Talking support with experienced therapeutic practitioners.
- Emotional healing for adults and young people.
- Confidence rebuilding for those who feel they have lost their sense of self.
- Support for children who have witnessed or been affected by domestic abuse in the home.
You do not need a referral. You do not need to be in immediate crisis. You just need somewhere safe to talk.
Do You Support Children Who Witnessed Domestic Abuse?
Yes. We know that children hear it, see it, and remember it. The frightened little girl on the stairs grows up. Jump Up offers age-appropriate emotional support for children and young people, alongside support for the parent or carer, so the whole family can begin to heal.
Where We Work
Jump Up supports families across Kent and Sussex, including Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Canterbury, Hastings, and surrounding areas.
Lisa’s Story: Why Jump Up Exists
Founder Lisa Holley Palmer created Jump Up after her own experience of domestic abuse. After leaving a violent relationship, navigating the courts, and rebuilding her life with her young son, she later found herself in another relationship affected by addiction and chaos.
She knows what it feels like to lose your confidence, your sense of safety, and almost all sense of who you used to be. But she also knows that life after domestic abuse can be rebuilt.
That is at the heart of Jump Up. Rather than people feeling they have to cope alone once the immediate crisis has passed, we provide a welcoming place where they can talk to someone who understands.
How to Get Help
You do not need to wait until you are at breaking point. Whether you left an abusive relationship recently, experienced abuse years ago, or grew up in a home where domestic abuse took place, the first step is simply having somewhere safe to talk.
Contact Jump Up today to start a conversation.
From pain to power, one jump at a time.
Domestic Abuse and Children: Key Statistics and Facts
- 1 in 5 children in the UK have witnessed domestic abuse at some point in their lives (source: NSPCC).
- Children who witness domestic abuse are at higher risk of anxiety, depression, and behavioural difficulties, both in childhood and later in life (source: NSPCC / Barnardo’s).
- Domestic abuse is a factor in around 60% of cases where children are subject to a child protection plan in England (source: Department for Education).
- Children do not “just get over it.” Without support, the effects of witnessing abuse can last into adulthood—affecting relationships, self-esteem, and mental health.
- Early support works. Age-appropriate therapeutic support for children who have witnessed domestic abuse significantly improves emotional wellbeing and resilience (source: NSPCC / Early Intervention Foundation).
- Jump Up is one of the few organisations in Kent and Sussex offering support to both adults andchildren affected by domestic abuse, with no need for a referral.
If you are a parent or carer worried about a child, or an adult who grew up in a home where domestic abuse took place, you are not alone. Jump Up is here.
Victoria’s Story: The Children on the Stairs Grow Up Too
This is Victoria’s full story, in her own words—shared with her permission.
When we talk about domestic abuse, we often think about the person directly experiencing the violence. But behind closed doors, there can be another victim listening, watching and waiting.
For Victoria, that victim was a little girl sitting frightened on the stairs.
She remembers hiding there while her father was violent towards her mother. She would hear what was happening, crying and waiting until eventually her mother would call out to tell her it was safe to come downstairs.
Those experiences never really left her.
Today, Victoria is part of Jump Up, a local organisation supporting women, men and children across Kent and Sussex who have experienced or been affected by domestic abuse.
Her experience is very different from that of founder Lisa Holley Palmer, but their reasons for wanting to help are remarkably similar.
Lisa created Jump Up following her own experience of domestic abuse. After leaving a violent relationship, going through the courts and trying to rebuild her life with her young son, she later found herself in another relationship affected by addiction, chaos and violence.
She knows what it feels like to lose your confidence, your sense of safety and, eventually, almost all sense of who you used to be.
But she also knows something else.
Life after domestic abuse can be rebuilt.
That is at the heart of Jump Up.
Rather than people feeling they have to cope alone once the immediate crisis has passed, Jump Up provides a safe, welcoming place where they can talk to someone who understands.
Sometimes people do not know what they need. They just know they are struggling.
It might begin with a conversation, a cup of tea and someone finally saying, “Tell me what has happened.”
The organisation focuses particularly on talking support, emotional healing, rebuilding confidence and helping people find their way forward, with experienced therapeutic practitioners available to provide further support.
And Victoria’s story is an important reminder that domestic abuse does not only affect the adults involved.
Children hear it. Children see it. Children remember it.
The frightened little girl sitting on the stairs grows up.
For Victoria, those memories have become part of her determination to make sure other children, and the adults caring for them, know that support exists.
Jump Up now wants more people throughout Kent and Sussex to know that they do not need to wait until they are at breaking point to ask for help.
Whether someone has recently left an abusive relationship, experienced abuse years ago, or grew up in a home where domestic abuse took place, sometimes the first step forward is simply having somewhere safe to talk.
From pain to power, one jump at a time.