Children as young as seven are telling social workers they want to kill themselves to avoid violence at home.

While New Zealand’s high youth suicide rates are often blamed on failing mental health services, domestic abuse charity Shine says we need to look at the link between domestic violence and youth suicide.

Shine's Client Services Manager Jill Proudfoot says while mental health services are important, the main thing children need is a safe home to live in.

"It is no use treating children for depression and anxiety if they are not going home to an unsafe environment. They cannot recover from their mental health issues if they do haven't got a safe haven."

Family violence is on the rise in areas such as Rotorua, where police were called to 69 family violence events last week.

Proudfoot says the spike is likely to have enormous implications on any children present, and potentially the wider community.

"It sometimes becomes that if a lot of people in the community, people stop thinking that it's really terrible and it starts becoming an everyday event."