MORE than 500 children in Bournemouth and Poole live in homes with a high risk of domestic violence, a local charity has said.

However, volunteers at the Butterfly Foundation, based in St Mary’s Road, Bournemouth, say that number is just “the tip of the iceberg”, and hundreds more could be living with the threat of abuse at home.

The charity, which helps victims through creative therapy, now offers initiative The Safer Relationship Project, aimed at educating primary school pupils about healthy and unhealthy relationships.

Creative director Julie Johns said: “Our clients come to us through a system of referral.

Often, someone may choose to not actually seek help, and so there could be many, many more children out there who we simply don’t know about.”

Rosie Harris, 58, who first came to the Foundation as a victim, now helps youngsters from violent or abusive backgrounds to express themselves with art therapy.

“I’ve been coming here for two years and I’m a completely different person now,” she said.

She said she finds her work with children aged from four to 11 “incredibly rewarding”.

Abi Mason, 22, who currently uses the service, said: “I feel like a different person than I was a couple of months ago.

“I feel so much stronger. I’m finding out who I am for myself rather than what somebody else wants me to be.”

However, despite the charity’s success stories, Julie warned that the numbers of children accessing support has rocketed.

“No one agency can do everything,” she said.

“We have the greatest success when we all work together. We can communicate with each other and that’s the best way to make sure that no one slips through the net.”

The charity has been open for almost 10 years, and has helped 350 adults, and supports around 60 people a month.