Domestic Abuse, Football and the Children Caught Between.

As the World Cup 2026 gets under-way, we at Carvers are caught up in the excitement like so many others. But for many people at home, a World Cup can be a time of fear.

Why a major tournament raises the risk at home.

The pattern of domestic abuse around major football tournaments is well documented, and it persists year after year.

Research shows that domestic abuse incidents rise by 38% when England loses, increase by 26% when the team wins, and remain 11% higher the following day, regardless of the result. (Source: Lancaster University study, cited by Crimestoppers, June 2026) 

Internationally, police reports of domestic violence rise by up to 33% during major sporting events such as the World Cup, often linked to the social stress, crowding, and alcohol-fuelled environments that surround them. (Source: UNESCO and UN Women, cited by the National Network to End Domestic Violence, June 2026) 

Football itself is never the cause. A tournament intensifies abuse that already lives in a home, fuelled by alcohol and social pressure that builds around big games.  

This reaches far more households than many people assume, and it reaches men as well as women. The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated that approximately 3.8 million people aged 16 and over experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2025, made up of roughly 2.2 million women and 1.5 million men. (Source: Office for National Statistics, Domestic abuse in England and Wales overview, 2025) 

When a child witnessing abuse becomes a child protection matter.

The NSPCC defines domestic abuse as any incident, or pattern of incidents, of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. It can involve psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional abuse. (Source: NSPCC)

Our Child Care team becomes involved at the point where children of the family are caught up in it. Witnessing abuse is seriously distressing and frightening for a child and causes real harm. It’s child abuse. 

Children can experience domestic abuse in several ways. They might:  

• See the abuse directly
• Hear it from another room 
• See a parent’s injuries or distress afterwards
• Get hurt themselves by being nearby or trying to intervene

Research shows that 78% of children living with domestic abuse are directly harmed by the perpetrator, in addition to the harm caused by witnessing abuse of others, and that one in five children in the UK experience domestic abuse. (Source: SafeLives Marac national dataset, 2023, and NSPCC, cited by the National Centre for Domestic Violence) 

What happens when Children’s Services get involved.

When a child is thought to be at risk, Children’s Services departments will often step in to work with the family. The aim is to keep the child safe and keep the family together wherever possible.

That support usually starts through Child in Need Plans or Child Protection Plans. In the most serious cases, where parents are not able to protect their children, the local authority can issue court proceedings to seek the removal of children from the family home.

The court’s starting point is to keep families together where it is safe to do so. With the right representation early on, you have someone making your case from the very first meeting. 

How Carvers can help

Our experienced Child Care team represents parents, grandparents and even children themselves when Children’s Services become involved. We can assist and advise you on the involvement of social workers, attend meetings with you, and if court proceedings are issued, represent you before the court.  

In addition to the above, our Child Care and Family teams can also help with applications for non-molestation injunctions to protect victims of domestic abuse, disputes over contact and where a child lives, and divorce and separation. 

Talk to our Child Care team 

If you are worried about your children and the impact of domestic violence, or are concerned about the involvement of social services, you do not have to work it out alone. Our Child Care team offers clear, straightforward advice from the first conversation.  

Get in touch on 0121 784 8484 or email our experts.
If you or your children are in immediate danger, call 999. For confidential support at any time, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline is open 24 hours a day on 0808 2000 247. Men experiencing domestic abuse can contact the Men’s Advice Line. The NSPCC helpline supports anyone worried about a child.