"IT WAS everyday.

"I was hit, pushed and kicked everyday."

These are the words of one Hampshire mum who was subject to daily violence from her child.

Sarah's* problems began with her son when he was a toddler.

She was regularly struggling with his behaviour and found herself constantly battling to do simple tasks: battles were fought over tooth brushing, putting on his coat and many other day-to-day tasks.

It was making what should have been a special time with her young child into a misery.

She felt he was getting out of control and didn't know where to turn.

"It really blew up when he went to school," said the Hampshire mum.

"At one point we were telling him off for everything. It was constant misbehaviour."

Fortunately Sarah's son school directed her towards a source of help.

Sarah signed up to Hampshire charity Learning Links' Non-Violent Resistance (NVR) course.

It changed their lives.

Sarah said the course helped get her "little boy back".

According to the Metropolitan Police, reports of child on parent violent offences grew from 920 in 2012 to 1801 in 2016, which is a 95 percent increase.

The mum, who has gone on to work at Learning Links, agreed the number of cases is increasing.

She said: "More people are phoning us and more people are definitely talking about it. It helps break that taboo."

NVR is a therapy that works towards reducing child-to-parent violence.

It can help parents and carers overcome their sense of helplessness by building a support network that will stop violent and destructive behaviours both in and out of the home.

Sarah said: "It was strange at first and completely different to traditional parenting, which normally involves a lot of punishments.

"We have a saying that is 'strike while the iron's cold', which is where we would discuss things later and give him an opportunity to come up with his own punishment.

"We would do a sit in and I would sit with him and say it was unacceptable what you did."

She added: "It was more about raising my presence with him and I would sit there in silence, which would make him feel uncomfortable. This made it easier and I was not lecturing him, telling him off and making him feel in control."

The family combated their son's violence by using the baskets exercise, where they imagined three baskets called prioritise, negotiate and let go.

The prioritise basket was for the biggest behaviour problems that needed to be addressed immediately, while the negotiate basket was for issues such as agreeing on bed time.

Sarah added NVR is "more about about letting things go and not giving into outside pressures", such as being judged as an irresponsible parent.

It can be tailored to different families to suit their needs.

"If you experience child on adult violence I would recommend NVR because it is totally different from everything else that is offered. It gives you back a sense of authority and has changed my family dynamic," Sarah said.

Her son has not been violent for four years now.

Her advice comes after it was announced Learning Links and Youth Options will receive £450,000 from the National Lottery to deliver a four-year project called 'Families Together'.

James Harcourt, director of England grant making at the National Lottery Community Fund, said the money was awarded to the charities as it will help "mend relationships between families while providing the opportunity for parents to come together to share their own experiences and support each other."

He added: "The programme’s approach to early intervention, aimed at giving parents the necessary skills to de-escalate anger and prevent potential conflict, will have a hugely positive impact on families.”

Sarah said that NVR allowed her to talk about her problem in a group and helped her realise she "was not alone".

She advises other people to "seek help before it gets too much. There is help out there".

Sarah added the charity has days where they "go out and it would be focused around the child, which makes the day special and it helps build their confidence".

"We do one to one support because some parents need it," Sarah said.

Families Together will provide a variety of positive activities, such as bushcraft skills and den building to help develop teamwork, problem solving and communication skills.

The project will support approximately 144 families over four years, with the charity offering six to eight courses a year. Each course will help six to eight families.

The courses are due to start in April.

Learning Links also has a graduate parent group, which is when a parent completes the course and they share their experience to the other parents on the course.

Since the pilot Learning Links launched in 2015, 158 children and 96 parents are now living in homes with less conflict.

Child to parent violence decreased sometimes from up to 15 incidences a day to two to three a week, with less intensity.

Emma Kennedy, the business development manager for Learning Links, said: " there is a waiting list for this service and from speaking to social workers across Hampshire we know that child to parent violence is on the increase and there is a growing need across the county".

Debbie Burns, deputy CEO of Youth Options, said: "We are really grateful to the National Lottery and we do believe it will have a big impact. Our vision is a better future for young people."

"I came to work at Learning Links because it is my way of giving back. The more we get this out there the more we can help," Sarah concluded.

*Not her real name.

If you would like support and advice on child on parent violence, please visit Learning Links website: http://learninglinks.co.uk/.

You can visit Youth Options website for further information on how they improve the lives of young people: https://www.youthoptions.co.uk/.