Safeguarding Insights

Drug misuse among young people is not always obvious. Unlike adult substance misuse, adolescent use is frequently hidden, minimised and misread as ordinary teenage behaviour — moodiness, tiredness, secrecy. By the time many families or schools recognise what is happening, a pattern of use has already become entrenched.

This guide — aligned with our Drugs & Substance Misuse resource hub, KCSIE 2024 and Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 — gives parents, teachers and Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) a practical, evidence-based framework for recognising and responding to drug misuse in young people.

The Scale of the Problem in England & Wales (2026)

These figures represent only those who entered the treatment system. The true prevalence of misuse is significantly higher, as the majority of young people who misuse substances never seek formal help.

Why Young People Use Drugs: Understanding the Context

Before identifying warning signs, it is important to understand that adolescent drug use rarely occurs in a vacuum. Research consistently identifies a cluster of vulnerability factors:

• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) — abuse, neglect, domestic violence, or parental substance misuse
• Peer pressure and social norms — particularly where use is normalised within schools or peer groups
• Undiagnosed mental health difficulties — anxiety, depression and ADHD are strongly correlated with self-medication through substances
• Exploitation and grooming — many young people involved in county lines networks are first given substances free of charge to create dependency before exploitation begins. See: Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE): What It Is and How to Spot It
• Boredom and lack of structured activity — particularly in rural and semi-rural areas with limited youth provision

Physical Warning Signs: What to Look For

Many physical signs of drug use can mimic illness. The key is to look for recurring patterns — or clusters of signs appearing together.

Behavioural and Social Warning Signs

Behavioural changes are often the first and most noticeable indicators. No single sign is diagnostic on its own — look for changes from the young person's established baseline, particularly sudden or unexplained ones.

Warning Signs by Substance: Quick-Reference Guide

Different substances produce different physical profiles. This is a supplement to the full substance-by-substance guide on our Drugs hub.

Having the Conversation: Practical Advice for Parents

Research from FRANK and NHS England shows that young people are significantly more likely to seek help for substance misuse if they believe they can speak to a trusted adult without punishment or shame. The goal of a first conversation is not to interrogate — it is to open a door.

• Choose the right moment — a calm, private setting; never when they are intoxicated
• Lead with concern, not accusation — "I've noticed you seem tired lately and I'm worried" rather than "I know you've been taking drugs"
• Be curious, not interrogative — ask open questions; listen more than you speak
• Avoid ultimatums in the first conversation — they frequently backfire and shut down disclosure
• Know where to get help — FRANK (talktofrank.com) provides free, confidential 24/7 support. For immediate crisis: NHS 111 or your local CAMHS team

Referral Pathways: What Professionals Must Do

Under KCSIE 2024 and Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023, substance misuse in a young person is a safeguarding concern — not merely a pastoral one. The DSL must lead the response. See also: The DSL Compliance Guide.

Sources: NHS Digital (2023). Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England 2023. gov.uk. | OHID/NDTMS (2024). Young People's Substance Misuse Treatment Statistics 2023/24. gov.uk. | ONS (2024). Drug Misuse in England and Wales: Year Ending March 2024. ons.gov.uk. | Home Office (2023). Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Amendment) Order 2023 (Nitrous Oxide, Class C). | FRANK (2024). Talk to Frank: Drug Information and Support. talktofrank.com. | DfE (2024). Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024. gov.uk. | HM Government (2023). Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023. gov.uk. | NHS England (2024). Synthetic Cannabinoids in School-Collected Vapes: Survey Data. | NCA (2024). County Lines 2023–24 Assessment. Last reviewed: April 2026.

The Scale of the Problem

Children's mental health in England has deteriorated sharply over the past decade. NHS England's 2023 survey found that one in five children aged 8–16 had a probable mental disorder — up from one in nine in 2017.^[1] Among young people aged 17–19, the rate rises to one in four.

These figures are not simply a result of better recognition. Research from the Anna Freud Centre and University College London confirms a genuine deterioration in the mental wellbeing of young people, accelerated by the Covid pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, and the sustained impact of social media on self-perception and sleep.^[2]

The Safeguarding Link

Mental health and safeguarding are deeply intertwined — but the direction of influence runs both ways. Children who experience abuse, neglect or exploitation are significantly more likely to develop mental health difficulties. Equally, children whose mental health is poor are more vulnerable to exploitation and harm — particularly county lines recruitment, online grooming, and peer pressure into criminal activity.

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 explicitly recognises mental health as a safeguarding issue, noting that emotional and psychological abuse can cause significant harm and that unmet mental health needs frequently underpin the vulnerability that exploiters target.^[4]

KCSIE 2024 places a specific duty on schools to be alert to the mental health needs of pupils and to have clear referral pathways to CAMHS and other support services, treating mental health concerns with the same seriousness as other safeguarding disclosures.^[5]

Warning Signs for Parents and School Staff

What Schools Must Do

Under KCSIE 2024, schools must have a clear, written approach to mental health which includes:

• A designated member of staff with lead responsibility for mental health (distinct from, though ideally linked to, the DSL role)
• A whole-school approach to emotional wellbeing embedded across the curriculum — not just delivered as one-off PSHE lessons
• Clear, documented referral pathways to CAMHS and voluntary sector support, including Early Help
• Staff trained to have confident, trauma-informed conversations with young people about their wellbeing

The DfE's Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) are now present in approximately 35% of schools and colleges in England (as of 2024/25). Schools not yet covered should contact their local NHS Integrated Care Board for the timeline for their area.

What Parents Can Do

The most protective factor for a young person's mental health is a secure, trusting relationship with at least one reliable adult. You do not need to be a therapist to help — you need to be present, consistent, and willing to listen without immediately trying to fix.

• Check in regularly — not just when something seems wrong
• Normalise talking about feelings by sharing your own (age-appropriately)
• Take their distress seriously, even if the cause seems minor to you
• Contact your GP for a referral to CAMHS if you are concerned — do not wait for a crisis

Why Parents Avoid the Conversation — And Why That's Risky

Many parents avoid talking to their children about knife crime for understandable reasons: they don't want to frighten them, they assume their child isn't at risk, or they don't know how to start. But silence carries its own risks. Young people who have not had honest, age-appropriate conversations about knife crime with a trusted adult are more likely to carry a knife themselves — often because they believe everyone else does and they need protection.^[2]

Research from the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) London confirms that young people who feel able to talk openly with parents about violence and danger are significantly less likely to become involved in knife crime, either as victims or perpetrators.

Age-by-Age Conversation Guide

What to Say If Your Child Tells You Something Serious

If your child discloses that they have seen a knife, know someone who carries one, or has been pressured to carry one themselves:

1. Stay calm. Your reaction in this moment determines whether they keep talking. Thank them for telling you.
2. Do not panic or immediately threaten punishment. This will shut the conversation down.
3. Listen fully before responding. Ask open questions: "Can you tell me more about what happened?"
4. Agree what happens next together where possible — this preserves trust.
5. Contact the school's DSL (Designated Safeguarding Lead) — they are trained to handle this confidentially and without escalating unnecessarily.
6. If there is an immediate threat to life — call 999.

The Law: What Your Child Needs to Know

Many young people genuinely do not know the legal consequences of knife possession. Make sure your child understands:

• It is illegal to carry a knife in public without a valid reason — even a penknife with a blade over 3 inches
• The maximum penalty for possessing a bladed article in public is 4 years in prison and/or an unlimited fine
• If convicted, this can affect university applications, employment (including in the NHS, teaching, and law), and the right to travel to countries like the USA
• "I carry it for protection" is not a legal defence

The Iceberg Problem

Child abuse and exploitation do not look the way many people imagine. They are rarely dramatic, sudden or obviously criminal. Most harm — including neglect, emotional abuse, sexual exploitation and criminal exploitation — unfolds slowly, behind closed doors, beneath the surface of what looks from the outside like ordinary family or social life.

The NSPCC's most recent analysis estimates that only one in eight children who experience abuse in the UK are identified by statutory services.^[1] For every child on a Child Protection Plan, there are likely seven more experiencing significant harm without any professional awareness.

This is not simply a failure of services — it is also a failure of recognition. Adults who are closest to children — teachers, family members, neighbours, youth workers — often see the signs but do not connect them to harm. Understanding why is the first step to changing it.

Why Hidden Harm Stays Hidden

The Indicators That Cross Every Form of Harm

While different types of abuse have specific warning signs, certain indicators cut across all forms of hidden harm. Any of the following, particularly in combination or as a change from a child's normal presentation, should prompt a conversation with a DSL or a referral to children's social care:

• Unexplained changes in behaviour, mood or personality
• Regression to younger behaviour (bedwetting, thumb-sucking in older children)
• Physical indicators — tiredness, poor hygiene, hunger, unexplained injuries
• Age-inappropriate sexual knowledge or behaviour
• Fear of a specific person, place or going home
• Flinching at sudden movements or raised voices
• Persistent absence from school or withdrawal from activities
• A child who is always "good" — compliant, fearful, hypervigilant

Your Responsibility: "It Could Happen Here"

Every serious case review into child deaths and serious injuries contains a version of the same finding: adults around the child saw something but did not act. The review into the death of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes (2021), the independent review of the Pelka case, and dozens of others all reveal not a single missed opportunity but many — by neighbours, school staff, health visitors and family members.

You do not need to be certain to report a concern. Under Working Together 2023, anyone with a safeguarding concern about a child can contact their local MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub) — anonymously if needed.^[3] A concern is enough. Certainty is not required, and it is not your job to investigate.

The 10-Point Online Safety Assessment

Scoring and Next Steps

What Is Early Intervention?

Early intervention in safeguarding refers to support provided to children and families before problems escalate to the threshold of statutory child protection. It sits in the space between universal services (schools, GPs, health visitors) and the statutory child protection system — addressing emerging needs before they become crises.

In England, this is the "Early Help" tier — codified in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 as a statutory duty for local authorities to provide, working in partnership with schools, health services and voluntary organisations.^[5]

Early Help can take many forms: family support workers, parenting programmes, school-based mentoring, mental health support, substance misuse counselling, or financial advice. What the evidence consistently shows is that the earlier support is provided, the more effective — and cost-effective — it is.

What the Evidence Shows

What Schools Can Do Right Now

Schools remain the most consistently present institution in most children's lives. They are uniquely positioned to identify emerging needs early and to act as a bridge to Early Help services. Practical steps:

• Know your local Early Help pathway — who to refer to, what the threshold is, and how to make the referral
• Complete a Team Around the Family (TAF) or Early Help Assessment for any child showing multiple indicators of need
• Designate a member of staff as an Early Help lead who works alongside (not in competition with) the DSL
• Embed universal wellbeing approaches — PSHE, nurture groups, therapeutic spaces — as prevention infrastructure, not extras

What Is Child Criminal Exploitation?

Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) is a form of abuse in which children and young people are manipulated, coerced, or forced into criminal activity for the benefit of others. Unlike many other forms of exploitation, CCE is frequently misread by the adults around the child — including teachers, parents and even police — as deliberate criminality rather than victimisation.

The statutory definition, set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 (HM Government), describes CCE as occurring when "an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, control, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into any criminal activity in exchange for something the victim needs or wants."^[1] Critically, this exchange does not make the child complicit — they are a victim.

CCE is closely linked to, but distinct from, county lines drug trafficking. County lines is a specific form of CCE; CCE itself also encompasses forced shoplifting, cuckooing, debt collection, and carrying weapons.

The 2024 UK Picture: What the Data Shows

In 2024, the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) received 19,125 referrals of potential modern slavery and exploitation victims — a 13% increase on the previous year and the highest total since the NRM was established.^[2] UK nationals now make up the largest single group referred (4,441 in 2024), reflecting the domestic nature of much CCE and county lines activity.

The true scale of CCE is considered significantly higher than the data captures. Children affected by CCE are frequently criminalised rather than safeguarded — a pattern highlighted by the Children's Commissioner, who has called for greater consistency in how police and prosecutors distinguish exploitation from wilful offending.^[3]

How CCE Works: The Exploitation Cycle

CCE typically follows a recognisable pattern, though it can develop rapidly or gradually depending on the exploiter's approach:

1. Targeting: Exploiters identify vulnerable young people — those with disrupted home lives, exclusion from school, peer group issues, or financial need. Looked After Children (LAC) and those known to social services are disproportionately targeted.
2. Grooming: Gifts, money, status and affection are used to build trust and create a sense of obligation. The young person may not recognise this as exploitation — they may believe it is friendship or a genuine opportunity.
3. Enmeshment: Tasks escalate gradually — carrying a package once, holding a phone, making a delivery. By the time the criminal ask becomes clear, the young person often feels unable to refuse due to debt bondage, threats, or genuine loyalty.
4. Control: Violence, threats against family members, debt, and psychological coercion are used to maintain compliance. Exit is made to feel impossible.

Warning Signs — For Professionals and Parents

The Legal Framework

CCE is addressed across several pieces of UK legislation. Key provisions include:

• Modern Slavery Act 2015: Section 3 defines child exploitation and criminalises those who arrange or facilitate it. Section 45 provides a statutory defence for children who commit offences as a direct result of exploitation.
• Children Act 2004 / Section 47 Children Act 1989: Local authorities have a duty to investigate where a child is believed to be suffering or at risk of significant harm — CCE meets this threshold.
• Serious Violence Duty 2022: Requires specified authorities (police, schools, NHS, councils) to work collaboratively to prevent and reduce serious violence, including CCE.

Importantly, a child cannot consent to their own exploitation. The statutory defence under Section 45 of the Modern Slavery Act means that children who have committed criminal offences as a result of CCE should not be prosecuted — though practice remains inconsistent across forces.

What to Do: Referral Pathways

If you have concerns about a child who may be experiencing CCE, act without delay. You do not need certainty — a reasonable suspicion is sufficient to trigger a referral.

• In school: Report immediately to your Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). Do not investigate independently or share concerns with the child's family before speaking to the DSL — this could place the child at greater risk.
• Local authority: Contact your local authority children's services duty team. In areas with a MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub), this is your first point of referral.
• Police: If a child is in immediate danger, call 999. For non-emergency concerns relating to county lines or serious violence, call 101 or report via Crimestoppers.
• NRM referral: If the child may be a victim of modern slavery or trafficking, a formal NRM referral should be submitted by a First Responder (police, local authority, social worker, certain NGOs).

What Changed in KCSIE 2024?

The Department for Education published Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024, in force from 1 September 2024.^[1] Ministers confirmed at publication that the 2024 edition contains primarily technical changes — aligning language and definitions with Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 — with a more substantive update anticipated in 2025. Nonetheless, DSLs should be clear on what has changed:

• Updated definitions and terminology: Language throughout has been revised to align with Working Together 2023, including updates to how "harm," "abuse," and referral processes are described.
• Clearer links to Working Together 2023: The 2024 edition explicitly cross-references the revised inter-agency guidance, reinforcing that school safeguarding does not operate in isolation from the broader multi-agency system.
• Online safety maintained as a distinct category: Following the Online Safety Act 2023, online safety remains embedded throughout Part 1 as a non-negotiable element of safeguarding for all staff.
• Upskirting, harmful sexual behaviour and peer-on-peer abuse: Definitions and expected responses have been updated to reflect evolving case law and emerging risks among peer groups.

The DSL Role: Core Statutory Responsibilities

Under KCSIE 2024, every school and college must have a designated safeguarding lead who is a member of the senior leadership team. The DSL's role is not delegable — while a deputy DSL can act in the DSL's absence, ultimate accountability remains with the named DSL.^[1]

KCSIE 2024 Part 2 sets out the DSL's core functions:

Working Together 2023: The Multi-Agency Framework

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 replaces the 2018 edition and introduces several important changes that directly affect how schools engage with the wider safeguarding system.^[2]

• Stronger emphasis on early help: Schools are explicitly identified as key partners in early help provision. DSLs should be actively engaged in local early help networks, not only making statutory referrals at threshold.
• Child Protection Plans and Reviews: Updated guidance on timescales and expected contributions from schools at Child Protection Conferences and Reviews.
• Information sharing: Working Together 2023 strengthens the presumption in favour of information sharing where a child may be at risk — DSLs should feel empowered to share even without explicit consent where safety is the concern.
• Family engagement: Greater emphasis on involving families in assessment and planning, while maintaining the child's welfare as the paramount consideration.

DSL Training Requirements

Under KCSIE 2024, DSLs must complete training to the appropriate level at least every two years. All other staff must receive safeguarding training at induction and regular updates — at least annually, but ideally termly through briefings, bulletins or e-learning.^[1]

Training should cover: recognition of abuse and neglect across all four categories; online safety and harmful sexual behaviour; the school's reporting procedures; the role of the DSL; and what to do if a child discloses abuse. The training must be specific to the school's context — a rural primary school and an inner-city secondary will have different risk profiles and training needs.

Record-Keeping: What KCSIE Requires

Safeguarding records must be kept securely, separately from the main pupil file, and transferred to the receiving school when a child moves — even if the concern has not resulted in a formal referral. Records should be factual, dated, and written contemporaneously. They must be retained in accordance with your local authority's retention schedule — this is typically until the child reaches the age of 25, or longer if a Criminal Injuries Compensation claim is involved.

Safer Recruitment: The Non-Negotiables

Part 3 of KCSIE 2024 sets out the pre-employment checks required for all staff and volunteers working with children. The single central record (SCR) must be maintained and available for Ofsted inspection. At minimum, the SCR must record:

• Enhanced DBS check with children's barred list (renewed every three years or upon risk assessment)
• Right to work in the UK verification
• Identity verification
• Prohibition from teaching check (teachers only)
• Overseas checks where an applicant has lived or worked outside the UK
• References — at least two, including one from the most recent employer

Most parents know online grooming exists. Far fewer feel confident talking to their child about it — and many worry that raising the subject will frighten their child, make them feel distrusted, or simply result in an awkward silence and a slammed door. This guide is for those parents.

The honest truth is that the conversation does not need to be perfect. It just needs to happen — and happen more than once. Research consistently shows that children who have open, ongoing conversations with a trusted parent are significantly more likely to disclose concerns early, when it is still possible to intervene.^[1]

Why This Conversation Matters Now

These figures, from the NSPCC's analysis of 45 police forces across England and Wales, represent only reported cases.^[2] The actual prevalence is considerably higher — the vast majority of online grooming goes unreported because children feel ashamed, afraid, confused, or certain that no adult will believe them.

Why Teenagers Don't Tell

Understanding why children stay silent is essential to having the right kind of conversation. Common reasons include:

• They believe they are in a real relationship — online groomers are skilled at creating genuine feelings of love, friendship or loyalty.
• Fear of losing their device or online access — a predictable parental response that groomers actively exploit ("your mum will ban your phone if she finds out").
• Shame and self-blame — particularly if any images have been shared. Children often believe they are equally at fault.
• Fear of not being believed — especially if the groomer is an older peer rather than an adult stranger.
• Protecting the parent — some children, particularly those with anxious parents, actively avoid disclosing to protect them from distress.

How to Start the Conversation

The best conversations about online safety are not lectures — they are two-way, calm, and built into ordinary life. Some approaches that work well:

• Use the news as a starting point: "I read something this week about kids being contacted by strangers online — has anything like that ever happened to anyone at your school?"
• Side-by-side conversations work better than face-to-face: In the car, on a walk, or cooking together. Eye contact can feel confrontational for teenagers.
• Ask, don't tell: "What do you think is the weirdest thing someone has ever sent you online?" opens dialogue. "Never give out your personal details" closes it.
• Make it a regular check-in, not a one-off talk: "I'm going to ask you once a month — is anything weird happening online? You won't be in trouble."

Scripts: What to Say and What to Avoid

If Your Child Discloses: What to Do

If your child tells you something has happened, your response in the first few minutes will determine whether they continue talking — or shut down for years. Stay calm. Listen more than you speak. Thank them for telling you. Avoid visible panic or anger, even if you feel it.

Do not contact the person who has been grooming your child, delete any messages, or share screenshots with others. Preserve all evidence and contact the police or CEOP immediately. You can report directly at ceop.police.uk — CEOP is a specialist team within the NCA dedicated to online child sexual abuse.

Safer Internet Day 2026 took place on 10 February 2026, with the theme: "Smart tech, safe choices — Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI."^[1] Coordinated by the UK Safer Internet Centre and celebrated in approximately 170 countries worldwide, the day marked a significant shift in focus for internet safety education — from the well-trodden risks of social media and stranger contact, to the fast-emerging and poorly understood world of artificial intelligence.

For schools and families, this shift matters. AI tools — chatbots, image generators, deepfake applications, AI tutors — are now embedded in children's daily lives. The safeguarding risks are real and evolving, and many parents and educators feel underprepared to discuss them.

What the Research Shows: Children, AI and Risk

Research by Nominet and Childnet, surveying 2,000 parents and 2,000 children aged 8–17, found significant gaps between how children use AI and how adults understand that use.^[2] Key findings include:

• The majority of young people aged 12–17 are using AI tools regularly — including AI chatbots, AI image generators, and AI-powered social media recommendation algorithms.
• Many children do not identify AI-generated content as "AI" — they encounter it without recognition in social feeds, video content and messaging apps.
• Parents significantly underestimate how frequently their children encounter AI — and feel underprepared to discuss its risks or benefits.
• The fastest-growing safeguarding risk area linked to AI tools is AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) — a development formally identified as a national threat by the IWF and NCA in their 2025 assessments.^[3]

AI Risks in the Safeguarding Context

AI introduces several safeguarding risks that did not exist — or existed in much more limited form — five years ago:

What Schools Should Do: An Action Checklist

• Update your online safety policy to explicitly reference AI tools, AI-generated content, and deepfakes — your existing policy likely predates these risks.
• Deliver a whole-school assembly or form-time session on what AI is, how it can be misused, and what to do if a student encounters AI-generated harmful content.
• Train all staff on recognising AI-related safeguarding disclosures — students may not use the language "AI" when describing incidents.
• Update filtering and monitoring software to include known AI tool domains, where appropriate.
• Brief parents — most parents are significantly less informed about AI risks than their children are about AI tools. A brief parent newsletter or session can be highly effective.

What Parents Can Do Today

• Ask your child: "Have you used any AI tools — like ChatGPT, image generators or voice cloners?" Open the conversation without alarm.
• Check the apps on your child's device for AI tools — many are embedded in existing platforms (TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram) and not immediately obvious.
• Talk about what is real and what is generated — help your child develop the critical instinct to question online content.
• Report any AI-generated harmful images involving your child to the IWF at report.iwf.org.uk or CEOP at ceop.police.uk.

A digital safety audit is simply a structured review of your child's online environment — what they have access to, who can see their content, what protections are in place, and whether anything looks concerning. Done annually, or whenever a child gets a new device or account, it takes under an hour and can make a significant difference to safety.

This guide does not assume your child has done anything wrong. It is a maintenance exercise — the digital equivalent of checking the smoke alarm. Carry it out with your child where possible and where age-appropriate; doing it together builds trust, not suspicion.

Step 1: Inventory — What Are They Using?

Start by listing every device and every platform. Many parents are surprised. Check:

• All apps installed on every device — including old tablets, games consoles and smart TVs
• Any accounts they have on social platforms — including secondary or "finstas" (secondary Instagram accounts)
• Gaming platforms: Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Roblox, Steam, Discord
• Communication apps: WhatsApp, Snapchat, Telegram, Signal, BeReal
• AI tools: ChatGPT, Snapchat My AI, TikTok AI features, image generators

Step 2: Platform-by-Platform Privacy Check

Step 3: Device-Level Parental Controls

• iPhone / iPad: Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions. Set a passcode different from the device passcode. Enable App Store purchase restrictions and Web Content filters (Limit Adult Websites).
• Android: Settings → Digital Wellbeing → Parental Controls, or use Google Family Link for under-13s. Set content filters on the Play Store.
• Windows: Microsoft Family Safety app — set content filters, screen time limits, spending limits and location sharing.
• Router-level filtering: Most modern routers (BT, Sky, Virgin, etc.) have built-in parental controls accessible via the provider app — these filter all devices on your Wi-Fi network and are harder to circumvent than app-level controls.

Step 4: Red Flags Checklist

During the audit, look out for:

Step 5: The Conversation After the Audit

The audit is a starting point for dialogue, not an interrogation. After completing it, sit with your child and talk through what you found — calmly and without accusation. Acknowledge what they are doing well, address concerns directly but kindly, and agree any changes together. A child who feels involved in their own safety is more likely to come to you with concerns in the future.

Sources: Ofcom (2024). Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report 2024. ofcom.org.uk. | NSPCC (2024). Net Aware: Guide to Social Networks, Apps and Games. net-aware.org.uk. | UK Safer Internet Centre (2024). Safer Internet Day 2024 Research. saferinternet.org.uk. | ICO (2023). Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code). ico.org.uk. | Internet Matters (2024). Parental Controls and Online Safety Guides. internetmatters.org. | DfE (2024). Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024. gov.uk. Last reviewed: April 2026.

The Scale of the Problem: 2024 Headline Statistics

The VKPP National Child Protection System Analysis 2024 recorded 122,768 Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation offences in England and Wales — a 6% increase on the previous year and the highest total on record.^[1] Contact offences (involving physical or in-person abuse) account for 65% of the total (79,222 offences), with online exploitation comprising 42% of all offences.

Perhaps the most significant data point is what is absent from these figures: the estimated true scale. The VKPP and NSPCC both estimate that only approximately 1 in 10 offences is reported to the police or statutory authorities.^[1] The recorded data, substantial as it is, represents the surface of a far larger problem.

Who Is Most at Risk?

CSE does not discriminate, but evidence consistently identifies certain groups as disproportionately vulnerable:^[1][4]

• Looked After Children (LAC): Children in care are significantly overrepresented in CSE caseloads. The combination of placement instability, prior trauma and reduced parental oversight creates heightened vulnerability.
• Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND): Communication difficulties and social isolation can make recognition of abuse more challenging and the ability to disclose more limited.
• Children from marginalised communities: Including those experiencing poverty, housing instability, domestic abuse at home, or involvement in the youth justice system.
• Girls aged 13–16: The most frequently recorded group in contact CSE referrals, though boys are significantly under-identified — a pattern of professional bias acknowledged in national inspections.
• LGBTQ+ young people: Face additional barriers to disclosure including fear of rejection or "outing," and may be targeted through specific platforms or communities.

Indicators of CSE: What Professionals Should Know

CSE indicators are outlined in statutory and practice guidance including Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 and the NCA's national strategic assessment. They should be understood as possible indicators requiring further enquiry — not proof. Key indicators include:

The Legal Framework

The primary legislative provisions governing CSE in England and Wales include:

• Sexual Offences Act 2003: Sections 47–50 specifically criminalise paying for sexual services with a child, causing or inciting child prostitution, and controlling a child for sexual exploitation.
• Protection of Children Act 1978: Prohibits the taking, distribution or possession of indecent photographs of children — extended to AI-generated imagery under current interpretation.
• Online Safety Act 2023: Imposes new duties on social media and online service providers to prevent child sexual abuse material from being hosted or shared on their platforms.
• Children Act 1989 / Section 47: Duty to investigate where a child is, or is likely to be, suffering significant harm — CSE clearly meets this threshold.

Referral Pathways and Professional Responsibilities

Where a professional has reasonable concern that a child may be experiencing CSE, the following pathway applies:

1. Do not investigate independently — do not attempt to speak with the alleged perpetrator or share your concerns with the child's family before consulting the DSL or statutory authorities.
2. Report to your DSL (in a school setting) or follow your organisation's safeguarding procedure.
3. Refer to your local MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub). All local authorities in England operate a MASH as the central point for safeguarding referrals.
4. Contact the NCA or CEOP where the exploitation has an online dimension — particularly if images may have been shared.
5. Submit a NRM referral where the child may also be a victim of modern slavery or trafficking.

The Scale of the Problem

Knife crime in England and Wales reached a near-record high of 50,085 offences in the year ending March 2022, and has remained at historically elevated levels since. The year ending March 2024 recorded approximately 47,800 offences — a marginal fall from the peak, but still 11% higher than 2018/19 levels, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

These figures include offences where a knife or sharp instrument was used or threatened — from robbery and assault to homicide. They do not include possession offences, which the ONS records separately and which have also risen sharply in recent years.

Who Is at Risk?

Young people are disproportionately both the victims and perpetrators of knife crime. Key demographic findings from the Home Office and ONS:

• Victims aged 10–24 account for approximately 43% of all knife crime victims
• Males aged 15–24 are the group most likely to be both victim and offender
• Hospital admissions for assault by a sharp object among under-25s have increased year-on-year since 2015
• Children as young as 10 have been arrested for knife possession offences
• Black boys and young men are disproportionately represented in both victim and offender statistics — a finding that demands both targeted safeguarding and critical awareness of systemic inequity

Urban vs Rural: Where Is It Happening?

Knife crime is disproportionately concentrated in metropolitan areas. London accounts for around 25% of all knife crime in England and Wales despite housing approximately 15% of the population. The Metropolitan Police recorded over 12,000 knife offences in 2023/24 alone.

However, the assumption that knife crime is exclusively an urban problem is both inaccurate and dangerous for safeguarding purposes. The National Rural Crime Network and NCA county lines data confirm that knife violence has risen significantly in market towns, coastal communities and rural areas, often driven by drug supply networks exploiting local children.

Implications for Schools and Safeguarding Teams

Knife crime is a safeguarding issue, not merely a criminal justice one. Under the Serious Violence Duty 2022, schools in specified areas are statutory partners in local serious violence reduction strategies. KCSIE 2024 explicitly requires schools to have policies and awareness relating to serious violence and exploitation.

Practical steps for safeguarding leads:

• Ensure your serious violence policy is current and staff have received training on warning signs
• Engage with your Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) — all 18 VRU areas offer school-facing resources
• Refer any suspected weapon-carrying to your DSL immediately; schools may conduct searches under the Education Act 1996
• Use whole-school approaches — assemblies, PSHE, mentoring — not just reactive exclusions

Sources: ONS, Crime in England and Wales, Year Ending March 2024 (2024); Home Office, Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics (2024); DfE, Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024; HM Government, Serious Violence Duty Statutory Guidance 2022. Last reviewed: April 2026.

What Has Changed: Prevent Duty Guidance 2023

The revised Prevent Duty Guidance, which came into force in England and Wales on 31 December 2023, strengthens the legal obligations on specified authorities — including all schools and colleges — to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.

Key changes from the previous 2015 guidance include:

• Clearer definitions of what constitutes vulnerability to radicalisation, moving away from solely ideological indicators to include psychological and social risk factors
• Strengthened online dimension — schools must now consider radicalisation through online platforms, gaming environments and encrypted messaging as seriously as face-to-face influence
• Explicit reference to far-right extremism — the guidance now gives equal weight to right-wing, Islamist, and other forms of extremism, reflecting the changing threat landscape
• Governor accountability — governing bodies must ensure their school has a nominated Prevent lead and that all staff receive appropriate training

The Scale of Radicalisation Referrals in Education

Home Office statistics for 2022/23 (the most recent full year of data) recorded 6,828 referrals to the Prevent programme across all sectors in England and Wales. Of these:

• Education (schools and higher education) accounted for 34% of all referrals — the single largest sector
• The most common primary concern was right-wing extremism (26% of referrals), closely followed by Islamist extremism (22%) and mixed/unclear ideology (28%)
• Children aged 15–17 were the most frequently referred age group; however, referrals of under-15s have increased year-on-year since 2018
• Of referrals to the CHANNEL programme, 27% were assessed as requiring a formal support plan

Warning Signs: What to Look For

No single indicator is conclusive. Radicalisation is a process, not an event. Warning signs must be considered in combination and in context:

What NOT to Do

• Do not challenge extremist views directly with the young person — this can entrench positions and break trust
• Do not make a referral without speaking to your DSL first, unless there is an immediate safeguarding risk
• Do not assume ideology based on ethnicity, religion or cultural dress — radicalisation risk is not ethnically or religiously determined
• Do not promise confidentiality if a young person discloses views or plans that suggest a risk of violence

Sources: HM Government, Prevent Duty Guidance for England and Wales 2023 (December 2023); Home Office, Individuals Referred to and Supported Through the Prevent Programme, England and Wales 2022/23 (2023); DfE, Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024. Last reviewed: April 2026.

The Scale: How Common Is Bullying?

Bullying is one of the most widespread safeguarding concerns in schools. Research consistently shows its prevalence and impact are significant:

• The Anti-Bullying Alliance (2023) estimates that 1 in 4 children experience bullying at some point during their school years
• Ditch the Label's Annual Bullying Survey 2023 found that 29% of young people had experienced bullying in the previous 12 months
• Cyberbullying affects approximately 1 in 5 children aged 10–15, according to the ONS Children's Online Behaviour in England and Wales survey
• Children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) are twice as likely to be bullied as their peers (NSPCC, 2022)
• LGBTQ+ young people face significantly higher rates — 45% report being bullied because of their sexual orientation or gender identity (Stonewall Schools Report, 2023)

Warning Signs Your Child May Be Being Bullied

Children rarely disclose bullying directly — often because of shame, fear of making things worse, or not wanting to worry parents. Watch for these behavioural changes:

• Reluctance to go to school — stomach aches, headaches and other physical complaints on school days
• Coming home upset or withdrawn, particularly after school or after time on their phone
• Unexplained loss of belongings, money or lunch
• Changes in eating or sleeping patterns
• Dropping out of activities they previously enjoyed
• Avoiding social situations — even with people they were previously close to
• Unexplained anxiety around their phone, or suddenly stopping use of apps they previously used frequently
• Distressing or self-deprecating comments about themselves: "I'm useless", "Nobody likes me"

How to Talk to Your Child

Choose a relaxed moment — on a walk, in the car — rather than a formal sit-down conversation. Start with open, low-pressure questions:

• "How are things with your friends at the moment? Anyone giving you a hard time?"
• "You seem quieter than usual — is everything okay?"
• "I've noticed you don't seem to want to go to school — is something going on?"

If they disclose: listen without immediately problem-solving. Validate their feelings first. Avoid minimising ("I'm sure they didn't mean it") or catastrophising ("Right, I'm going to the school tomorrow"). Agree together on what the next step should be.

Working with the School

All schools in England are legally required to have an anti-bullying policy. Governors must ensure it is kept up to date. When contacting the school:

1. Keep a log of incidents with dates, times and details before contacting the school
2. Request a meeting with the class teacher or pastoral lead — email creates a written record
3. Ask what the school's anti-bullying policy says and how incidents are formally investigated
4. If you are not satisfied with the response, escalate to the headteacher, then to the governors
5. As a final resort, contact the local authority or Ofsted if the school is failing to act on a safeguarding concern

Sources: Anti-Bullying Alliance, Bullying in Schools Research (2023); Ditch the Label, Annual Bullying Survey 2023; ONS, Children's Online Behaviour in England and Wales 2022/23; Stonewall, School Report 2023; NSPCC, Child Protection in England: Statistics (2024). Last reviewed: April 2026.

Why a Safeguarding Calendar Matters

Effective safeguarding is not reactive — it is planned, sustained and embedded into school culture throughout the year. Awareness initiatives give DSLs a structured opportunity to refresh staff training, communicate with parents and engage pupils around specific issues at the moments when they are most receptive.

Research from the PSHE Association and Public Health England consistently shows that awareness initiatives are most effective when they are followed up with ongoing curriculum content, rather than being treated as one-off events. Use the dates below as launch points, not endpoints.

Month-by-Month Action Guide

Planning Tips for DSLs

• Add all key dates to your school improvement / CPD calendar at the start of each academic year
• Assign a named member of staff as lead for each initiative — don't carry it all yourself
• Order physical resources (posters, stickers) at least 6 weeks in advance — popular initiatives often run out
• Record each initiative in your safeguarding evidence file — Ofsted will look for evidence of sustained awareness activity

Sources: Anti-Bullying Alliance, Anti-Bullying Week 2026 Resources; Alcohol Change UK, Alcohol Awareness Week 2026; Brake, Road Safety Week 2026; NCA, County Lines 2024 Assessment; UK Safer Internet Centre, Safer Internet Day 2026 Resources. Last reviewed: April 2026.

Section 1: Policies and Procedures (KCSIE 2024, Part 2)

Section 2: Training and Awareness

Section 3: Record-Keeping

Section 4: Culture and Leadership

Section 5: Referrals and Multi-Agency Working

Sources: DfE, Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024; HM Government, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023; Ofsted, School Inspection Handbook 2024; DfE, Statutory Framework for Safeguarding and Child Protection 2024. Last reviewed: April 2026.

Understanding the Scale

The Department for Education's 2023/24 children's social care statistics reveal the vast scale of the child protection system in England. 706,000 referrals to children's social care were made in the year ending March 2024 — equivalent to roughly one referral every 44 seconds.

These figures represent real children, real families, and real professionals making difficult decisions every day. They also represent the single largest evidence base for why safeguarding training, clear referral pathways, and multi-agency collaboration matter so profoundly.

The Key Findings Explained

What This Means for Your School

These statistics are not abstract. They are a mandate for action at every level:

• Every staff member who spots a concern and reports it promptly could be the referral that opens a door to protection for a child
• Every DSL who maintains robust records and attends multi-agency meetings contributes to the system that protects 234,000 of the most vulnerable children in the country
• Every governor who scrutinises safeguarding effectiveness supports a culture where no child's abuse goes unnoticed

Sources: DfE, Characteristics of Children in Need 2023–24 (2024); DfE, Children Looked After in England 2024 (2024); NPCC, Missing and Kidnap Data 2023–24 (2024); NSPCC, Child Protection in England: Statistics Briefing 2024; Children's Commissioner, The Big Ask Follow-Up: Early Help Review (2024). Last reviewed: April 2026.

The Scale of the Problem in England and Wales

The Office for National Statistics recorded 2.1 million adults experiencing domestic abuse in the year ending March 2024 — but this figure vastly underestimates the problem, because children living in those households are separately harmed but not counted as primary victims in crime data. The NSPCC estimates around 1 in 5 children in England are exposed to domestic abuse at some point in their childhood.

How Domestic Abuse Harms Children: The Evidence Base

Children do not need to be directly assaulted to be harmed. Research from the NSPCC and the Anna Freud Centre consistently shows that exposure to domestic abuse — even without direct physical harm to the child — causes lasting developmental, psychological and neurological damage:

• Developmental delays: Babies and toddlers in abusive households show disrupted attachment, which affects emotional regulation, language development and social skills.
• Mental health impacts: Older children exposed to domestic abuse are significantly more likely to develop anxiety, depression and PTSD. The impact mirrors that seen in children who are directly abused.
• Intergenerational transmission: Without intervention, children who witness abuse are at elevated risk of entering abusive relationships as adults — as either victim or perpetrator.
• Academic underachievement: Domestic abuse is one of the most consistent predictors of school absence, exclusion, and poor GCSE outcomes, according to the Children's Commissioner.

The Legal Framework: What Domestic Abuse Is

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 provides the first statutory definition of domestic abuse in England and Wales. Abuse is defined as physical or sexual abuse, violent or threatening behaviour, controlling or coercive behaviour, economic abuse, or psychological, emotional or other abuse. It applies to people aged 16 and over who are personally connected (including former partners and family members).

Crucially, Section 3 of the Act recognises children as victims in their own right if they see, hear or experience the effects of domestic abuse. This removes any ambiguity about whether a child witnessing abuse is simply a "witness" — legally, they are a victim and must be responded to accordingly.

Signs of Domestic Abuse in a School or Early Years Setting

Statutory Duties for Schools and Professionals

Under Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 and KCSIE 2024, schools must:

1. Treat any reasonable suspicion of domestic abuse affecting a child as a safeguarding concern requiring action — not "just" a family matter.
2. Refer to the MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub) under a Section 17 (child in need) or Section 47 (child protection) framework where there is risk of significant harm.
3. Not attempt to mediate between the perpetrator and victim or conduct investigations independently.
4. Consider the perpetrating parent a risk — even where they are not the primary carer — and include risk assessment in any child protection plan.
5. Support the non-abusing parent; avoid any approach that places further blame or responsibility on the victim.

Sources: Office for National Statistics (2024). Domestic abuse in England and Wales overview: November 2024. ons.gov.uk. | DfE (2024). Characteristics of Children in Need: 2023–24. gov.uk. | NSPCC (2024). Domestic abuse: learning from case reviews. nspcc.org.uk. | Domestic Abuse Act 2021. | HM Government (2023). Working Together to Safeguard Children. DfE. | DfE (2024). Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024. gov.uk. | Children's Commissioner (2024). The children of domestic abuse. childrenscommissioner.gov.uk.

The Three-Tier Framework

Section 17: Child in Need

Under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989, a child is "in need" if:

• They are unlikely to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health or development without provision of services; or
• Their health or development is likely to be significantly impaired without such provision; or
• They are disabled.

A Section 17 referral triggers a Child and Family Assessment, which children's services must complete within 45 working days. The outcome may be an Early Help Plan, a Child in Need Plan, or escalation to Section 47 if concerns increase during the assessment.

Examples of s.17 concerns: persistent poor school attendance linked to family dysfunction; a child with a disability whose needs are not being met; a family in acute housing or financial crisis that is compromising a child's welfare; a teenager whose home environment is chaotic but where there is no immediate risk of significant harm.

Section 47: Child Protection Enquiry

Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 places a duty on the local authority to investigate where it has reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm. "Significant harm" encompasses both the nature and extent of harm and the context in which it occurs — a single incident can meet the threshold.

Under Working Together 2023, once a Section 47 enquiry is initiated:

1. Children's services must lead, with police and health as key partners in a coordinated response.
2. A strategy discussion (or meeting) must be convened within one working day for urgent cases.
3. The child must be seen by a social worker, with their views taken into account (subject to age and understanding).
4. If the enquiry determines the child is at risk of significant harm, a child protection conference must be convened within 15 working days.

Threshold Indicators for Professionals

Sources: Children Act 1989, ss.17 and 47. | HM Government (2023). Working Together to Safeguard Children. DfE. gov.uk. | DfE (2024). Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024. gov.uk. | NSPCC (2024). Making a child protection referral. nspcc.org.uk. | DfE (2024). Characteristics of Children in Need: 2023–24. gov.uk. | HM Government (2015). What to do if you're worried a child is being abused — Advice for practitioners. gov.uk.

Why Children Don't Tell Us

Before opening the conversation, it helps to understand the barriers children face in disclosing mental health difficulties to parents:

• Fear of worry: Many young people stay silent specifically to protect their parents — they see distress as their responsibility to manage.
• Stigma: Despite public awareness efforts, stigma around mental illness remains a powerful barrier, particularly for boys and young men.
• Inability to articulate: Children often don't have the vocabulary for what they're experiencing. They may not identify their feelings as "depression" or "anxiety" — they just know something feels wrong.
• Fear of consequences: Worry that disclosure will lead to hospital, school involvement, or restriction of freedoms.

Warning Signs to Watch For

Conversation Techniques That Work

The following approaches are drawn from evidence-based models used by CAMHS practitioners, YoungMinds and the Anna Freud Centre:

1. Choose the right moment: Avoid formal "sit down" conversations. Instead, use "side-by-side" moments — in the car, on a walk, watching TV together. Lower visual pressure reduces defensiveness.
2. Open with observation, not accusation: "I've noticed you seem a bit flat lately — I just wanted to check in" lands very differently to "Are you depressed?"
3. Normalise without minimising: Share that many young people feel this way without dismissing their specific experience. "A lot of people go through periods like this — and we can get through it together."
4. Listen more than you speak: Use active listening techniques. Reflect back what they've said. Silence is not failure — it gives them space to continue.
5. Avoid immediate "fixing": The instinct to solve is strong, but a young person who feels heard is far more likely to accept help than one who feels problem-solved at.
6. Be explicit about confidentiality limits: If you may need to involve others (school, GP), be honest about this — but frame it as support, not punishment.

When and How to Seek Help

If you have concerns about your child's mental health, the following pathways are available:

• GP referral: Your first port of call for a CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) referral. Waiting times vary significantly by area.
• School counsellor or ELSA: Many schools now have Emotional Literacy Support Assistants and counsellors. Ask your child's school what is available.
• YoungMinds Parents Helpline: 0808 802 5544 — free support for parents worried about a young person's mental health.
• Crisis support: If you believe your child is in immediate danger of harming themselves, call 999 or take them to your nearest A&E.

Sources: NHS Digital (2023). Mental Health of Children and Young People in England 2023. digital.nhs.uk. | YoungMinds (2024). Young People's Mental Health Statistics. youngminds.org.uk. | NSPCC (2024). Child mental health: Signs, symptoms and how to help. nspcc.org.uk. | Anna Freud Centre (2023). Mental health in schools: A guide for teachers. annafreud.org. | NHS (2024). Children and young people's mental health services (CYPMHS). nhs.uk.

Why Anti-Bullying Week Matters for Safeguarding

Anti-Bullying Week is not just a pastoral activity — it sits squarely within the safeguarding framework. Under KCSIE 2024, schools must have an anti-bullying policy, and bullying that rises to the level of harassment, discrimination or criminal behaviour must be treated as a safeguarding concern and may require referral. When bullying involves protected characteristics (race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion) it becomes a hate incident and may require a different response pathway.

Types of Bullying — Understanding the Modern Landscape

• Physical bullying: Hitting, kicking, pushing or theft/damage of property. The most visible form but often not the most prevalent.
• Verbal bullying: Name-calling, teasing, threats, homophobic or racist language.
• Social/relational bullying: Exclusion, spreading rumours, manipulating relationships — often the hardest form to prove and one of the most damaging.
• Cyberbullying: Online harassment, sharing of images without consent (which may constitute a criminal offence under the Online Safety Act 2023), pile-on behaviour on social media.
• Prejudice-based bullying: Targeting based on protected characteristics — race, religion, disability, gender reassignment, sexual orientation.

Anti-Bullying Week 2026: School Activity Framework

Parent Communication: What to Send Home

A short letter or text message to parents during Anti-Bullying Week should include:

• What the school is doing during the week and why
• How parents can reinforce the messages at home
• The school's anti-bullying policy and how to report concerns
• Key contacts: class teacher, pastoral lead, DSL
• External support signposting: Childline (0800 1111), Family Lives (0808 800 2222)

When Bullying Becomes a Safeguarding Concern

Under KCSIE 2024, bullying must be treated as a safeguarding matter when it:

• Causes or risks significant harm to a child
• Involves criminal behaviour (assault, harassment, threats to kill)
• Involves the sharing of sexual images of a child
• Is motivated by a protected characteristic and constitutes a hate crime
• Is perpetrated by a member of staff (which requires different statutory procedures)

In these cases, follow your normal safeguarding referral pathway. Do not treat it as a "behaviour issue" — log it, refer it, and ensure the DSL is involved.

Sources: Diana Award (2024). National Bullying Survey 2024. diana-award.org.uk. | DfE (2023). Preventing and tackling bullying: Advice for headteachers, staff and governing bodies. gov.uk. | DfE (2024). Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024. gov.uk. | Anti-Bullying Alliance (2025). Anti-Bullying Week 2026 resources. anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk. | Online Safety Act 2023. | Childline (2024). Bullying statistics. childline.org.uk.

The Legal Basis for Record-Keeping

KCSIE 2024 requires schools to maintain clear, accurate and confidential records of all safeguarding concerns and actions taken. Working Together 2023 reinforces this, stating that records must be factual, objective and contemporaneous. Under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, safeguarding records are "special category" data and must be stored securely with restricted access.

Records must be kept for a minimum of 25 years (or until the child would reach 25, whichever is longer) and transferred to the child's new school if they move. They cannot be included in the pupil's general file — they must be kept separately.

What Every Concern Log Entry Must Include

Free Template Framework

The following framework can be adapted for your school's record-keeping system. It is designed to be KCSIE-compliant and usable in any MIS (Management Information System) or paper-based format:

Ofsted and the Inspection Framework

Since the introduction of the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework (EIF) in 2019 (updated 2023), inspectors are required to review a school's safeguarding records as part of every inspection. Inspectors will look for evidence that concerns are being recorded promptly, that records are factual rather than interpretive, that the DSL is clearly identified on records, and that the records tell a coherent "story" about a child over time — including multi-agency contacts and outcomes.

Sources: DfE (2024). Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024. gov.uk. | HM Government (2023). Working Together to Safeguard Children. gov.uk. | ICO (2024). Guide to UK GDPR: Special category data. ico.org.uk. | Ofsted (2023). Education Inspection Framework 2023. gov.uk. | DfE (2023). Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel: Annual Report 2022–23. gov.uk. | Data Protection Act 2018.

The Scale of the Problem: 2024 Data

Why SEND Children Face Greater Risk

The elevated risk is not inherent to disability itself — it arises from the intersection of individual vulnerability factors and systemic failures to recognise and respond to abuse. Key factors include:

• Communication barriers: Children who are non-verbal, have limited vocabulary or rely on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) may struggle to describe abuse. Their disclosures may be dismissed as "behavioural" or misunderstood.
• Dependency on multiple carers: Children with complex needs often require intimate personal care from multiple adults, increasing both opportunity and risk. They may not have a clear concept of appropriate and inappropriate touch.
• Reduced social networks: Isolation from peers reduces the likelihood of natural disclosure and reduces the number of trusted adults who might notice indicators.
• Diagnostic overshadowing: Signs of abuse — changes in behaviour, regression, self-harm — are often attributed to the child's disability rather than investigated as potential indicators of harm.
• Institutional settings: Children in residential special schools or respite care have additional exposure risk, particularly where safeguarding oversight of the setting is insufficient.

Statutory Duties for Schools Working with SEND Pupils

Under KCSIE 2024 and the SEND Code of Practice 2015, schools must:

1. Ensure that safeguarding procedures are accessible to all pupils, regardless of communication needs. This may require SEND-specific adaptations — visual formats, easy read, symbol-supported communication.
2. Ensure that the DSL (and any deputies) have specific training and awareness of how disability intersects with safeguarding risk.
3. Include SEND-specific risk factors in every safeguarding concern assessment — never attribute behavioural change automatically to the child's diagnosis.
4. Involve the SENCO in safeguarding discussions where the child has an EHCP or significant SEN need.
5. Ensure personalised care plans explicitly reference safeguarding — particularly where intimate care is involved.

Enabling Disclosure: Communication Adaptations

Sources: NSPCC (2024). Disabled children and abuse. nspcc.org.uk. | DfE (2024). Special educational needs in England: January 2024. gov.uk. | DfE (2023). Preventing and tackling bullying. gov.uk. | DfE (2024). Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024. gov.uk. | DfE / DH (2015). Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years. gov.uk. | NSPCC (2023). Child safeguarding practice reviews: Learning from case reviews. nspcc.org.uk. | Children's Commissioner (2023). SEND: Old issues, new issues, next steps. childrenscommissioner.gov.uk.

Understanding Radicalisation

Radicalisation is the process by which a person comes to support terrorism or extremist ideologies that may lead to terrorism. It is rarely sudden — it is a gradual process driven by a complex interaction of push factors (grievances, marginalisation) and pull factors (belonging, identity, purpose). The Home Office's 2023 Prevent Duty Guidance emphasises that radicalisation can affect individuals from any background and that no single profile or demographic is uniquely vulnerable.

Vulnerability Factors

The Home Office's ERG22+ (Extremism Risk Guidance) and Vulnerability Assessment Framework identify three broad domains of vulnerability:

Behavioural Warning Signs in Educational Settings

The Channel Process: Step by Step

Channel is a multi-agency programme for individuals who are vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism. It is voluntary — individuals are not forced to participate. It is not a criminal justice process. The Channel Duty Guidance 2023 sets out the following pathway:

1. Identification and referral: A professional identifies a concern and refers to the local authority Prevent lead (via the DSL in a school setting).
2. Initial assessment: The Prevent lead assesses whether the concern meets the threshold for Channel — vulnerability to radicalisation causing risk of involvement in terrorism.
3. Channel panel: A multi-agency panel meets (typically including police, local authority, health, education) to assess the case and agree a support plan.
4. Support delivered: Tailored support may include mentoring, cognitive behavioural therapy, faith-based engagement, education or employment support.
5. Review and closure: The panel meets regularly to review progress. Cases are closed when the vulnerability is sufficiently reduced.

Sources: Home Office (2023). Prevent Duty Guidance for England and Wales. gov.uk. | Home Office (2023). Channel Duty Guidance: Protecting vulnerable people from being drawn into terrorism. gov.uk. | Home Office (2024). Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, April 2022 to March 2023. gov.uk. | Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, s.26. | HM Government (2023). CONTEST: The United Kingdom's Strategy for Countering Terrorism 2023. gov.uk.

How Online Radicalisation Works

Online radicalisation rarely follows a single pathway. Instead, it involves a gradual process of exposure, engagement and ideological adoption. Researchers describe the following common patterns:

• The "rabbit hole" effect: Recommendation algorithms on YouTube, TikTok and similar platforms can expose young people to progressively more extreme content after initial engagement with edge content. A search for historical conflict can lead step-by-step to extremist propaganda.
• Grooming by recruiters: Just as with sexual exploitation, extremist recruiters actively seek out vulnerable young people in online spaces — gaming platforms, Discord servers, forums. They build a relationship before introducing ideology.
• Echo chambers: Private Telegram channels, Discord servers and forums create closed ideological spaces where extreme views are normalised and challenge is absent.
• Memes and "edgy" content: Extremist groups deliberately use humour, irony and meme culture to introduce radicalising ideas in a non-threatening format — particularly effective with young men seeking in-group identity.

Platforms Most Frequently Exploited

What Parents Should Watch For

• Secretive online activity, particularly in encrypted apps or on platforms you don't recognise
• New online "friends" who are significantly older or whose identity cannot be verified in real life
• Increasingly extreme views expressed in conversation — including dehumanising language about groups
• Interest in weapons, conflict or extremist groups — expressed in writing, artwork or online activity
• Withdrawal from previous friends and interests in favour of exclusive online community
• Sharing or laughing at memes that mock or dehumanise minority groups

What Parents Can Do

1. Have the conversation early: Discuss extremism and terrorism in age-appropriate terms before exposure occurs. Young people who have a framework for critical thinking are more resistant to radicalising narratives.
2. Know what platforms they're using: Ask, don't demand. Regular check-ins about online activity — who they talk to, what content they enjoy — are more effective than surveillance.
3. Enable parental controls and content filters: Router-level filters (BT Parental Controls, Sky Broadband Shield), device-level controls (Apple Screen Time, Google Family Link), and platform safety settings all provide layers of protection.
4. Teach critical thinking: Challenge conspiracy theories and "us vs them" narratives gently. Ask "where did you hear that?" and model evidence-based reasoning.
5. Report online extremist content: The Home Office's ACT Early website (actearly.campaign.gov.uk) allows confidential reporting of concerns. Content can also be reported directly to Ofcom or platform operators.

Sources: Ofcom (2024). Children's media use and attitudes report 2024. ofcom.org.uk. | Home Office (2023). Prevent Duty Guidance for England and Wales. gov.uk. | Internet Watch Foundation (2024). IWF Annual Report 2024. iwf.org.uk. | CREST (2023). The Gateway: Experiences of online radicalisation. crestresearch.ac.uk. | Ofcom (2023). Online Safety Act 2023: Illegal content duties. ofcom.org.uk. | ACT Early, Home Office (2024). actearly.campaign.gov.uk.

The "Safe Space" Obligation

The Prevent Duty Guidance 2023 explicitly requires schools to ensure that they provide a "safe space" in which pupils can discuss difficult or controversial topics without fear of censure. This is a deliberate counter to the risk that heavy-handed approaches to Prevent will push radicalising views underground rather than surface them where they can be challenged.

This creates a productive tension for teachers: the classroom must feel safe enough for extremist views to be expressed, while the teacher must have the skills to challenge those views constructively. Getting this balance wrong in either direction — either silencing pupils or failing to challenge — undermines the Prevent objective.

Techniques for Challenging Extremist Narratives

The following evidence-based techniques are drawn from Prevent Duty training (WRAP — Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent), the Education and Training Foundation's work, and research by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue:

1. Ask, don't tell: Rather than immediately correcting an extreme view, ask the pupil to evidence their position. "That's an interesting view — where did you come across that?" encourages critical reflection without triggering defensiveness.
2. Distinguish the view from the person: Separate your response from any judgment of the pupil. "I want to take that view seriously and think about it with you" is more effective than "that's wrong."
3. Introduce counter-narratives through peer voices: Evidence consistently shows that peer-delivered counter-narratives are more persuasive than teacher-delivered ones. Case studies, testimony from former extremists (such as Life After Hate materials) and youth-led content are more credible to young people than adult instruction.
4. The "third voice" technique: Rather than positioning yourself as the authority contradicting the pupil, introduce a third source — "a researcher at UCL found that..." This avoids the power dynamic becoming the focus of the discussion.
5. Address the underlying need: Extremist ideology often appeals because it offers identity, belonging, purpose and simple explanations for complex grievances. Acknowledging the underlying need ("it sounds like you feel that something really unjust is happening — let's talk about that") is more effective than attacking the ideology directly.
6. Know when to refer: Classroom discussion is not the appropriate forum for addressing significant radicalisation concerns. If a pupil expresses views that indicate genuine vulnerability — rather than provocative testing of boundaries — the matter should be referred to the DSL. The classroom should not become an informal Channel session.

WRAP Training: What It Covers

Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP) is the standard Prevent awareness training for front-line staff. It is delivered by local authority Prevent leads and covers:

• What the Prevent Duty requires of the organisation
• Understanding the current threat landscape and types of extremism
• Recognising vulnerability factors and behavioural indicators
• How to make a Prevent referral via the DSL
• The Channel process and what happens after referral

KCSIE 2024 requires that all school staff receive Prevent awareness training — typically delivered through WRAP or an equivalent. DSLs should receive more detailed Prevent training on the Channel referral process. Training should be refreshed regularly and whenever there is a significant change to the threat landscape.

Sources: Home Office (2023). Prevent Duty Guidance for England and Wales. gov.uk. | DfE (2024). Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024. gov.uk. | Home Office (2023). Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP). gov.uk. | Education and Training Foundation (2024). Fundamental British Values and Prevent. etfoundation.co.uk. | Institute for Strategic Dialogue (2023). Narratives and Counter-Narratives: Evidence Base. isdglobal.org. | Life After Hate (2024). formerlies.org.

The UK Threat Landscape: 2024 Data

Right-Wing Terrorism (RWT)

Right-wing extremism now accounts for the largest share of Prevent referrals and is the fastest-growing terrorism threat in the UK, according to CONTEST 2023 and MI5. It encompasses a wide spectrum of ideologies including:

• Neo-Nazi and white supremacist ideology: Organisations such as National Action (the first group to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation since WWII) and their successors promote racial genocide. Their propaganda is heavily present on extremist online spaces.
• Anti-government and "accelerationist" ideology: Groups promoting the violent collapse of democratic government. Often characterised by targeting of specific ethnic, religious or LGBTQ+ communities.
• Incel and "manosphere" ideology: The misogynistic incel (involuntary celibate) movement has been linked to multiple terrorist attacks in the UK, US and Canada. It increasingly features in Prevent referrals for young men.

Signs in schools: Extremist symbols (Celtic cross, "88" — code for "Heil Hitler"), dehumanising language about migrants, Jewish people or women, links to online communities like 4chan/8chan, glorification of far-right violence.

Islamist Extremism

Islamist extremism refers to the use of a politicised interpretation of Islam to justify violence. It is important to emphasise that this ideology is rejected by the vast majority of Muslims and is often described by Islamic scholars as a perversion of the faith. Key features include:

• Support for proscribed organisations such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS/Daesh or their affiliates
• Belief in the violent establishment of a caliphate or religious state
• Takfiri ideology — the declaration of fellow Muslims as apostates deserving death
• Glorification of "martyrdom" operations (suicide attacks)

Signs in schools: Expressing support for terrorist attacks or proscribed groups; consuming propaganda from extremist organisations; sudden, dramatic change in religious practice combined with hostility to non-believers; expressions of desire to travel to conflict zones.

Mixed, Unstable or Unclear Ideology

A growing category of Prevent referrals — now over 30% — involves individuals who do not fit neatly into established ideological categories. This includes:

• "Eclectic" extremism: Individuals who draw from multiple extremist ideologies — far-right, Islamist, incel — without coherent ideological commitment. Often driven primarily by personal grievance, mental health difficulties or social isolation.
• Single-issue extremism: Violence in service of a single cause — animal rights, anti-abortion extremism, eco-terrorism. Less common in the UK but increasingly monitored.
• Conspiracy-driven radicalisation: Individuals radicalised through conspiracy theories (anti-vaccine, QAnon, anti-government) who may move toward justifying violence against perceived enemies.

Sources: HM Government (2023). CONTEST: The United Kingdom's Strategy for Countering Terrorism 2023. gov.uk. | Home Office (2024). Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, April 2022 to March 2023. gov.uk. | MI5 (2024). Threat levels and current UK threat. mi5.gov.uk. | Institute for Strategic Dialogue (2023). Right-wing extremism: The landscape in 2023. isdglobal.org. | Home Office (2023). Proscribed terrorist groups or organisations. gov.uk. | Home Office (2023). Prevent Duty Guidance for England and Wales. gov.uk.

What Are County Lines?

County lines is the term used by UK law enforcement to describe a model of drug supply in which criminal gangs — predominantly based in urban cities — use dedicated mobile phone lines to sell Class A drugs (typically heroin and crack cocaine) into smaller towns, rural areas, and coastal communities. The name refers to the act of crossing county (or police force) boundaries to operate the supply route.

What makes county lines a safeguarding crisis — not just a crime problem — is that gangs systematically recruit, exploit, and traffic children and vulnerable adults to carry drugs, collect debts, and man the "lines." These individuals are victims, not perpetrators, of the supply chain — a distinction that remains poorly understood in some parts of the criminal justice system.

The 2024 Picture: What the NCA Data Shows

The National Crime Agency's 2024 reporting confirms that county lines remains one of the most serious organised crime threats to communities across England and Wales. The NCA has identified approximately 2,000 active county lines, though true prevalence is believed to be significantly higher due to under-reporting and misidentification of victims.^[1]

Children and young people remain the most commonly exploited group. The NCA notes that UK nationals — predominantly young Black males, though the demographic is broadening — represent the largest group referred through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) as potential victims of county lines exploitation. Critically, the NCA emphasises that the demographic profile of at-risk young people is far wider than stereotypes suggest: white rural teenagers, young women, and children with SEND are increasingly identified as victims.^[1]

How Gangs Recruit in Schools

County lines recruiters do not typically approach children in a visible, alarming way. Instead, exploitation begins with relationship-building — what professionals call "grooming." The NCA has identified several specific routes through which school-age children are drawn into county lines networks:

• Peer recruitment: An existing contact — often a slightly older student or a school peer — introduces the young person to the gang network, providing social status and gifts.
• Social media targeting: Gangs actively use Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and gaming platforms to identify young people expressing financial stress, family difficulties, or social isolation. "Flexing" content (showing cash, designer clothes, cars) is deliberately used as aspirational bait.^[3]
• Exclusion targeting: Children who are excluded from school, permanently or temporarily, become significantly more vulnerable. The NSPCC has documented that school exclusion is a key risk factor for county lines entry — children without school structure have both more time and more exposure to street-level recruitment.^[4]
• Care leaver targeting: Looked After Children and care leavers are disproportionately represented in county lines victim data. Gangs specifically target young people in care placements, recognising their reduced adult supervision and heightened vulnerability.^[2]

What KCSIE 2024 Requires Schools to Do

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024 (KCSIE), which came into force on 2 September 2024, makes explicit that county lines and child criminal exploitation are forms of abuse that fall within a school's safeguarding responsibilities. Schools must:

1. Train all staff to recognise the indicators of CCE, including county lines exploitation, as part of their mandatory safeguarding training (Part One of KCSIE).
2. Have a named DSL who is trained to at least Level 2 in the Contextual Safeguarding framework and who understands the county lines referral pathway in their local area.
3. Maintain robust absence monitoring — unexplained absence must be followed up and, where CCE is a concern, referred to the local MASH rather than treated as a pastoral matter.
4. Share information with police and other agencies proportionately and proactively — schools should not wait for a criminal investigation to share relevant information about a child's welfare.
5. Consider Section 47 enquiries where there is reasonable cause to suspect a child is suffering or at risk of significant harm through exploitation.

Under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (Section 45), children who commit offences as a result of county lines exploitation have a statutory defence. Schools should be aware that a student who is found in possession of drugs or weapons may be a victim, not a perpetrator, and should be treated accordingly.

Sources: [1] National Crime Agency (2024). County Lines 2024: NCA Intelligence Assessment. nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk. [2] Children's Commissioner (2023). Vulnerability Report: Children at risk of criminal exploitation. childrenscommissioner.gov.uk. [3] CEOP (2023). Threat Assessment of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse 2023. ceop.police.uk. [4] NSPCC (2023). County Lines: Child criminal exploitation and drug supply. nspcc.org.uk. [5] HM Government (2024). Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024. gov.uk. [6] HM Government (2015). Modern Slavery Act 2015, Section 45. legislation.gov.uk.

Why Safeguarding Is Inspection-Critical

Under the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework (EIF) 2024, safeguarding occupies a unique position: it is the only judgement area where a single weakness can result in the school being graded Inadequate regardless of its performance in other areas. Inspectors use a separate safeguarding evaluation schedule alongside the standard EIF judgements, and their findings are recorded on the school's inspection report.

In Ofsted's 2022–23 Annual Report, safeguarding was cited as a concern in a significant proportion of schools judged Requires Improvement or Inadequate. Common issues included inadequate recording of concerns, gaps in staff training, an absent or under-trained DSL, and failure to maintain a legally compliant Single Central Record (SCR).^[1]

The 10 Things Ofsted Always Check

The Most Common Failings Inspectors Find

Analysis of Ofsted inspection reports flagging safeguarding concerns reveals a consistent pattern of weaknesses:^[1]

• The SCR is incomplete, out of date, or does not record all required checks
• Safeguarding training records are incomplete or some staff have not been trained
• The child protection policy has not been updated to reflect KCSIE 2024
• Concerns are recorded inconsistently — some are on paper, some on systems, some not at all
• The DSL does not have sufficient protected time for the role and is routinely pulled away by other responsibilities
• Online safety monitoring is in place technically but staff are not trained to recognise alerts
• The school cannot demonstrate a clear referral pathway to their local MASH

Sources: [1] Ofsted (2023). Annual Report and Accounts 2022–23. gov.uk. [2] DfE (2024). Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024. gov.uk. [3] Ofsted (2024). School Inspection Handbook September 2024. gov.uk. [4] HM Government (2023). Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023. gov.uk.

Why the Online Safety Act Matters

The Online Safety Act 2023 received Royal Assent in October 2023 and, as Ofcom's implementation schedule rolled out through 2024–2025, began to impose new legal duties on social media platforms, search engines, and online services operating in the UK. For parents, the Act represents the most significant legal shift in how the internet is regulated since the internet became mainstream — and creates real, enforceable obligations on the platforms their children use every day.

Before the Act, platforms could largely self-regulate. A platform could, for example, theoretically allow a 10-year-old to access an account, see pornography, or be groomed — and face little legal consequence. The Online Safety Act changes this fundamentally. Ofcom now has the power to fine companies up to 10% of their global annual turnover or £18 million (whichever is higher) for non-compliance, and can block platforms entirely in the UK.^[1]

What Platforms Must Now Do

Under the Children's Safety Code published by Ofcom in January 2025, large online platforms must implement the following by default for users under 18 (or where age cannot be verified):

• Age assurance: Platforms must implement "robust" age verification — meaning they cannot rely solely on a self-declared date of birth. Effective age assurance methods include credit card checks, open banking, digital identity services, and photo ID verification.
• Safer algorithmic feeds: Recommendation algorithms must not push harmful content — including content about self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, or extreme violence — to users under 18. Platforms must be able to demonstrate their algorithms apply age-appropriate content settings.
• Privacy by default: Children's accounts must be set to the highest privacy setting by default. Direct messaging must be restricted for children under certain ages, and strangers should not be able to contact children without the child opting in.
• Content removal: Platforms must proactively detect and remove illegal content (including child sexual abuse material and content facilitating grooming), and have rapid removal processes for content that is harmful to children.
• Parental controls: Platforms must provide accessible, effective parental supervision tools so parents can monitor and limit their child's account activity.

What This Means for Your Family Right Now

The Online Safety Act creates new rights and expectations, but parents should not assume platforms are automatically safe as a result. Implementation is ongoing, and enforcement depends on Ofcom's resources and reporting. Here is what you should do as a parent in 2025/26:

1. Check age settings on your child's accounts. Review every platform your child uses and ensure that where age-appropriate settings exist, they are enabled. On Instagram and TikTok, for example, "Teen Accounts" and "Restricted Mode" respectively apply additional content filters.
2. Understand the reporting mechanism. All major platforms now have a legal duty to make reporting of harmful content simple and visible. Show your child how to report content that makes them uncomfortable — and make clear that reporting is always the right thing to do.
3. Use Ofcom's "Online Nation" resources. Ofcom publishes free, accessible guidance at ofcom.org.uk on how to set up parental controls on major devices and platforms. This is updated regularly as platforms change their interfaces.
4. Talk about AI-generated content. Deepfakes — AI-generated images and videos, including "nudification" of real people — are a rapidly growing risk. The Online Safety Act specifically criminalises the sharing of intimate deepfake images without consent. Have an age-appropriate conversation with your child about this.
5. Know the CEOP button. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection command (CEOP) provides a direct reporting mechanism at ceop.police.uk. Every child who uses the internet should know this exists and how to use it.

Sources: [1] HM Government (2023). Online Safety Act 2023. legislation.gov.uk. [2] Ofcom (2024). Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report 2024. ofcom.org.uk. [3] NSPCC (2023). How safe are our children? 2023. nspcc.org.uk. [4] Internet Watch Foundation (2024). IWF Annual Report 2023. iwf.org.uk. [5] CEOP (2023). Threat Assessment of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse 2023. ceop.police.uk. [6] Ofcom (2025). Children's Safety Code: Guidance for online services. ofcom.org.uk. [7] ICO (2021). Age Appropriate Design Code. ico.org.uk.

The State of Children's Mental Health: What the NHS Data Shows

The NHS Mental Health of Children and Young People in England Survey 2023 — the most comprehensive national survey of its kind — reveals a concerning picture of child and adolescent mental health in England. The findings represent a significant deterioration over the past decade and have major implications for schools, parents, and safeguarding professionals.

These figures represent a sharp increase from 2017, when 1 in 9 children aged 5–16 had a probable mental disorder. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated existing trends, with the largest deterioration seen in girls aged 11–16, where rates of probable mental disorder more than doubled between 2017 and 2023.^[1]

Critically, the NHS data shows that most children with mental health difficulties are not receiving treatment. Referral to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) involves lengthy waits in most areas of England — the average wait from referral to first treatment appointment is 18 weeks in many trusts, and can exceed 12 months in some areas.^[3] This means schools and families are, in practice, often the primary support for a child experiencing significant mental health difficulties.

Children's Mental Health Week 2026: Key Dates and Resources

Children's Mental Health Week 2026 takes place on 3–9 February 2026 and is coordinated by the children's mental health charity Place2Be. The 2026 theme is "Know Yourself, Grow Yourself" — encouraging children and young people to develop self-awareness, emotional literacy, and a growth mindset around their own mental health.

Place2Be provides free resources for schools including:

• Assembly scripts for primary and secondary age groups
• Classroom activities by key stage (KS1–KS4)
• A whole-school toolkit for DSLs and pastoral leaders
• Parent/carer communication templates
• Resources in multiple languages

All resources are available at childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk from January 2026.

What Schools Can Do: Practical Actions by Key Stage

Mental Health and Safeguarding: Where the Duties Overlap

Under Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024, mental health difficulties — particularly where they are a consequence of abuse, exploitation, or neglect — are a safeguarding concern that DSLs must be equipped to identify and respond to. KCSIE 2024 makes specific reference to mental health in Part One (the reading all staff must complete), noting that "mental health problems can, in some cases, be an indicator that a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering abuse, neglect or exploitation."^[4]

This means that when a child presents with depression, self-harm, anxiety, or disordered eating, the school's first response should include consideration of whether safeguarding concerns underlie the presentation — before assuming the issue is primarily clinical. The DSL must be involved where there is any safeguarding dimension.

Sources: [1] NHS Digital (2023). Mental Health of Children and Young People in England 2023. digital.nhs.uk. [2] Children's Society (2023). Good Childhood Report 2023. childrenssociety.org.uk. [3] NHS England (2024). Children and Young People's Mental Health Services: Waiting Times 2024. england.nhs.uk. [4] DfE (2024). Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024, Part One. gov.uk. [5] Place2Be (2026). Children's Mental Health Week 2026: Resources. childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk.

What Is a Child Protection Conference?

A child protection conference is a formal multi-agency meeting convened by a local authority's children's social care team following a Section 47 enquiry (also known as a child protection investigation) under the Children Act 1989. The conference brings together all the professionals involved with a child and their family — and, wherever possible, the child and their parents — to share information, assess risk, and decide whether the child should be made the subject of a Child Protection Plan (CPP).

Under Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023, an Initial Child Protection Conference (ICPC) must be convened within 15 working days of the S47 enquiry being initiated.^[1] This is a statutory timescale — any failure to meet it must be recorded and justified. Schools are one of the key agencies routinely invited, and the DSL's attendance and written report are essential parts of the conference process.

Types of Child Protection Conference

• Initial Child Protection Conference (ICPC): The first conference following a Section 47 enquiry. It determines whether a CPP is required and, if so, sets out the plan's objectives and lead worker responsibilities.
• Child Protection Review Conference (CPRC): A review held at intervals (initially after 3 months, then every 6 months) to assess whether the child's situation has improved, whether the plan is working, and whether the child remains at risk of significant harm. The school report is equally important at reviews as at the ICPC.
• Child Protection Conference (Transfer): Held when a child on a CPP moves into a new local authority area. The new authority must convene a conference within 15 working days of the transfer.

How to Prepare the School's Report

The school report to a child protection conference is a formal document shared with all conference participants, including the child's parents. It must be factual, professional, and evidence-based. It should never contain speculation, hearsay, or the personal opinions of staff. The DSL is typically responsible for compiling the report, drawing on information from class teachers, pastoral staff, SEND records, and the school's safeguarding concern log.

A strong school report typically includes:

1. Attendance and punctuality: Term-by-term attendance figures, patterns of absence, and any relevant context (e.g. persistent absences following weekends, frequent illness presentations).
2. Academic performance: A brief summary of the child's attainment and progress — noting any significant deterioration, whether the child is engaged and motivated, and any SEND needs.
3. Behaviour and emotional wellbeing: Observed changes in behaviour, emotional presentation, or social relationships. Include specific, dated examples rather than generalisations.
4. Safeguarding history: A chronological summary of all concerns logged at the school — dated, factual, and including what action was taken at each point. Include any previous referrals to social care.
5. Views of the child: Where the school has spoken with the child about their experiences or concerns, include what they said — with context about how and when it was said.
6. Relationships with parents/carers: The school's experience of engagement with the child's parents or carers, including any concerns about parental behaviour at school meetings, home visits, or communications.

What Happens at the Conference

The conference is chaired by an independent conference chair (ICC) — usually an experienced social worker who has no direct involvement in the case. The chair is responsible for ensuring all voices are heard, managing disagreements, and enabling the group to reach a decision about the child's safety.

The typical structure of an ICPC is:

1. Introductions and agreement about how information will be shared with the family present
2. Each agency shares its written report and responds to questions
3. The family (and where appropriate, the child) are invited to share their perspective
4. Agencies discuss risk factors and protective factors in a structured way
5. The chair invites agencies to make a recommendation about whether a CPP is required
6. The group reaches a decision — usually by consensus, with the chair having the final decision
7. If a CPP is agreed: the category of registration (neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse) and lead worker are confirmed; a core group is set up; initial objectives are agreed

Sources: [1] HM Government (2023). Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023. gov.uk. [2] DfE (2024). Characteristics of children in need: 2023 to 2024. explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk. [3] NSPCC (2022). Child Protection Plan and Register Statistics 2022. nspcc.org.uk. [4] DfE (2024). Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024. gov.uk. [5] Children Act 1989, Section 47. legislation.gov.uk.

What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences?

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are traumatic or stressful events that occur in childhood and have been shown — through decades of research — to have a lasting impact on physical health, mental health, and life outcomes. The term was developed by Drs Vincent Felitti and Robert Anda through the landmark ACE Study (1995–1997), a collaboration between Kaiser Permanente and the Centers for Disease Control in the United States, involving more than 17,000 participants.^[1]

The original ACE Study identified ten categories of adverse experience:

Subsequent UK research by Public Health Wales and Public Health England (now OHID) has extended the ACE framework to include additional factors particularly relevant to the UK context, such as bullying, living in a care home, and involvement with the criminal justice system.^[2]

The UK Data: How Prevalent Are ACEs?

The Public Health England report Adverse Childhood Experiences: What We Know, What We Don't Know, and What Should Happen Next (2021) synthesises the UK evidence base and confirms that ACEs are "dose-responsive" — meaning the greater the number of ACEs a child experiences, the higher the risk of negative outcomes across health, education, employment, and social participation.^[3]

Public Health Wales's groundbreaking 2015 ACE study — the first large-scale study of its kind in the UK — found that people with 4+ ACEs were 11 times more likely to be current smokers, 7 times more likely to be sexually violent, and 20 times more likely to be imprisoned at some point in their lives.^[2] These are not marginal associations: they represent dramatic differences in life outcomes that have profound implications for how we design schools, social care, and public health systems.

The Biology of Trauma: Why ACEs Have Such Lasting Effects

Understanding why ACEs have such significant impacts requires a basic understanding of how early adversity affects the developing brain. During childhood, the brain is in a critical period of development. Chronic stress — the kind produced by exposure to violence, abuse, neglect, or family dysfunction — triggers the sustained release of cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone.

In small doses, cortisol is beneficial: it produces the "fight or flight" response that keeps children safe from immediate danger. But when cortisol is produced at high levels chronically — as in a home where abuse or neglect is ongoing — it has a toxic effect on brain development. Research published by the Harvard Center on the Developing Child has shown that toxic stress disrupts the architecture of the developing brain, particularly in the areas governing:

• Emotional regulation — the ability to manage feelings, calm down when distressed, and respond to stressful situations without becoming overwhelmed
• Executive function — planning, impulse control, working memory, and the ability to follow sequences of instructions
• Learning and memory — hippocampal development (the area of the brain critical for memory formation) is particularly vulnerable to toxic stress
• Stress response systems — children who experience chronic early trauma often develop a permanently heightened stress response, making them more reactive to perceived threats in all contexts — including school^[4]

What a Trauma-Informed School Looks Like in Practice

A trauma-informed approach does not mean excusing behaviour or having no expectations. It means understanding that challenging behaviour is often a communication — a response to an unmet need, a triggered stress response, or a learned survival mechanism — rather than a deliberate choice to misbehave. The practical implications for schools are significant:

1. Relational approach: Consistent, predictable, warm relationships with a trusted adult are the most significant protective factor for children with ACEs. Every child at risk should have a named "key adult" in school — someone they know they can go to when things are difficult.
2. Sensory regulation spaces: Many children with ACEs are in a chronic state of physiological hyperarousal. Designated quiet spaces with regulation resources (sensory tools, breathing exercises, calm corners) allow children to self-regulate before they can learn.
3. Restorative rather than punitive discipline: Traditional punitive approaches (exclusion, isolation, shouting) retraumatise children whose nervous systems are already sensitised to threat. Restorative conversations — which focus on repairing harm, understanding behaviour, and building skills — are more effective for ACE-affected children.
4. Rethinking attendance policy: For some children, school is the safest place in their life. A trauma-informed school understands that absence may be a symptom of what is happening at home, not a character failing. Attendance conversations should be compassionate and curious, not punitive.
5. Staff training and self-care: Working with traumatised children can lead to vicarious trauma in staff. Trauma-informed schools invest in staff wellbeing, reflective supervision, and regular training. The Trauma-Informed Schools UK (TIS UK) programme provides CPD resources and a certification pathway.

Sources: [1] Felitti VJ, Anda RF et al. (1998). "Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults." American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245–258. [2] Public Health Wales (2015). Welsh Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. phw.nhs.wales. [3] Public Health England (2021). Adverse Childhood Experiences: What We Know, What We Don't Know, and What Should Happen Next. gov.uk. [4] Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University (2023). Toxic Stress. developingchild.harvard.edu. [5] NHS (2024). Trauma: Overview and Guidance for Health Professionals. england.nhs.uk. [6] Early Intervention Foundation (2023). What works to prevent ACEs and build resilience in children. eif.org.uk. [7] NSPCC (2023). Protecting children from abuse and neglect. nspcc.org.uk.

Why Gaming Matters for Safeguarding

Gaming is no longer a solitary activity. Modern games — from Fortnite and Roblox to Minecraft and Call of Duty — are social platforms with live voice chat, private messaging, and communities that extend well beyond the game itself. Ofcom's 2024 Children's Media Use and Attitudes report found that 93% of 5–15 year olds play games online, with boys aged 8–12 spending an average of 12 hours per week in-game.^[1]

This makes gaming one of the primary environments in which children interact with strangers — and a key arena in which grooming, exploitation, and radicalisation can occur. The NSPCC received over 6,000 reports between 2020 and 2024 of children being contacted by predatory adults through gaming platforms.^[2]

How Grooming Happens in Games

Online groomers do not announce themselves. Within gaming environments, they typically follow a predictable pattern:

1. Access: They join the same game as the child — often a popular game with large communities (Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft) and begin communicating in public chat.
2. Targeting: They identify a child who appears isolated, eager to please, or particularly enthusiastic about the game. They offer gifts (in-game currency, rare items, "carrying" them through difficult levels).
3. Isolation: They move the conversation to private chat within the game, then to external platforms — Discord, WhatsApp, Snapchat — where parental monitoring is less likely.
4. Escalation: Once off-platform, the groomer escalates to requests for images, personal information, or meetings. At this stage, the child often feels they cannot tell a trusted adult because they believe they have done something wrong.

The Online Safety Act 2023 places new duties on gaming platforms to protect children from this type of harm — but parental awareness remains the most effective first line of defence.^[5]

Warning Signs to Watch For

Age Ratings: What PEGI Means and Why It Matters

The PEGI (Pan European Game Information) rating system is legally recognised in the UK and applies to all games sold commercially. The ratings indicate minimum suitable age based on content — not difficulty:

• PEGI 3: Suitable for all ages. No violence, frightening content, or bad language.
• PEGI 7: May contain mild fear or non-realistic violence.
• PEGI 12: May contain moderate violence, suggestive themes, or mild bad language.
• PEGI 16: May include realistic violence, sexual themes, and strong language.
• PEGI 18: Adult-only content including graphic violence and strong sexual content.

Research from the University of Oxford (2024) found that 45% of children under 12 regularly play games rated PEGI 16 or above — most commonly because parents are unaware of what the rating means or have not checked.^[6]

In-Game Spending: The Hidden Risk

Many games are free to play but generate revenue through "loot boxes," battle passes, skins, and in-game currency. GambleAware's 2023 report found that UK children spent approximately £869 million on in-game purchases — often without parents realising payment details were stored on the device.^[3] The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has flagged loot boxes as a potential gambling harm and the UK Government is reviewing their regulation.

Practical steps to prevent unauthorised spending: disable in-app purchases in your device settings, remove stored payment cards from children's accounts, and set spending limits on platform accounts (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, Steam all have parental spending controls).

Practical Steps You Can Take Today

• Set up a family account on your child's gaming platform (PlayStation Family, Xbox Family Settings, Nintendo Family Group, Google Family Link) — this gives you oversight of who they play with and what they spend.
• Keep gaming devices in shared household spaces, not bedrooms, particularly for younger children.
• Agree clear rules about screen time and who they can chat to — and explain why, rather than just banning.
• Play alongside them occasionally — it signals genuine interest and makes it easier for them to tell you if something goes wrong.
• Teach your child: no one who genuinely likes you will ask for photos, personal information, or to keep the friendship secret.
• Report concerns about in-game contact to the platform and to CEOP (ceop.police.uk).

Why Controls Alone Are Not Enough — But Still Matter

Ofcom's 2024 research found that only 40% of parents of children aged 5–15 use parental controls of any kind — despite 93% of children in that age group going online daily.^[1] The most common reason given: parents don't know where to start, or assume controls are too difficult to set up.

The Online Safety Act 2023 now requires tech companies to make age-appropriate settings the default for under-18s — but platform compliance is still being phased in, and many children use accounts registered with false ages.^[2] Until platform-side protections are consistently enforced, parental controls remain your most reliable tool.

iPhone and iPad (iOS/iPadOS)

Apple's built-in Screen Time feature is found at Settings → Screen Time. Key settings to configure:

• Content & Privacy Restrictions: Block explicit websites, restrict app downloads by age rating (4+, 9+, 12+, 17+), and prevent changes to privacy settings.
• Communication Limits: Control who your child can call, message, and FaceTime — both during screen time and during Downtime.
• Downtime: Set a schedule during which only approved apps can be used (e.g. 9pm–7am). Add a Screen Time passcode that only you know.
• Family Sharing: Link family accounts so you receive purchase approval requests and can see your child's app library. Set up via Settings → [Your Name] → Family Sharing.

For children under 13, create their Apple ID using the Child account flow within Family Sharing — this automatically applies age-appropriate defaults.

Android Phones and Tablets

Android controls vary by manufacturer. For most Android devices, use Google Family Link (available free from the Play Store):

• Create a supervised Google account for your child (under-13 accounts are automatically supervised)
• Approve or block app downloads from the Play Store; set content ratings for apps, games, and films
• Set daily screen time limits and lock the device remotely when limits are reached
• See your child's app activity and location in the Family Link parent app
• Block specific websites in Chrome and enable SafeSearch

Samsung devices also have a dedicated Kids Mode (found in Settings or as a separate app) which creates a walled garden of age-appropriate content.

Gaming Consoles

The Major Apps: Quick Settings Reference

Broadband-Level Controls

All major UK broadband providers offer free network-level content filters — these apply to every device on your home Wi-Fi, including smart TVs, games consoles, and devices you haven't individually configured. Look for "parental controls" in your router app or provider's online account:

• BT: BT Parental Controls (via My BT app)
• Sky: Sky Broadband Shield (built-in, set up at sky.com/shield)
• Virgin Media: Web Safe (via Virgin Media app)
• EE: Smart Controls (via My EE app)

Broadband controls won't catch mobile data — combine with device-level controls and, for younger children, consider a basic phone without mobile data rather than a smartphone.

What Is Coercive Control?

Coercive control is a pattern of behaviour that seeks to take away the victim's liberty or freedom and strip away their sense of self. Unlike a single incident of violence, coercive control operates through cumulative tactics designed to dominate and control. It was criminalised in England and Wales by Section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015, carrying a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment.^[1]

It is distinct from — though often accompanied by — physical violence. Survivors frequently report that the psychological impact of coercive control is more devastating and longer-lasting than physical injuries, partly because it is harder to name, harder to leave, and less likely to be believed.

Recognising the Tactics

Coercive control operates through a range of overlapping behaviours. No single tactic defines it — it is the pattern and the intent to control that matters:

How Coercive Control Affects Children

Children who witness or live with coercive control are directly harmed — even if they are never physically hurt themselves. Under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, children are now explicitly recognised as victims of domestic abuse in their own right, not merely witnesses.^[5]

The research evidence on impact is stark. The NSPCC found that children exposed to domestic abuse (including coercive control) are significantly more likely to experience anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and difficulties in school.^[4] They are also at greater risk of entering abusive relationships themselves in adolescence and adulthood — a pattern linked to normalised experiences of control rather than any character failing in the child.

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 requires practitioners to consider the impact of domestic abuse on children as part of every safeguarding assessment, and to treat parental coercive control as a safeguarding concern in its own right.^[6]

Signs a Child May Be Living with Coercive Control

Children cannot always name what they are experiencing — but their behaviour often signals distress. Schools and parents in wider families should be alert to:

• Persistent anxiety, fearfulness, or hypervigilance — particularly around a specific adult
• Flinching at sudden movements or raised voices
• Regression to younger behaviours (bed-wetting, thumb-sucking in older children)
• Difficulty concentrating, sudden drop in school performance
• Restricted social life — rarely able to go to friends' houses or after-school activities
• Speaking about a parent's behaviour in hushed tones, or being evasive when asked
• Wearing covering clothing in summer (may indicate physical harm too)
• The controlling parent monitoring all communication with school, other family members, or professionals

If You Are Experiencing Coercive Control

Leaving a coercive relationship is rarely simple — and the period immediately after leaving is statistically the most dangerous. The National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247) offers 24-hour advice, safety planning, and access to refuge spaces. You are not overreacting. Coercive control is a crime, and you deserve support.

If You Are Worried About a Child

If you are a family member, neighbour, teacher, or friend who is concerned that a child is living with coercive control:

• Do not confront the controlling adult — this can escalate risk for both the victim parent and the children
• Make gentle, non-judgmental contact with the non-controlling parent if it is safe to do so
• If you have a safeguarding concern about a child, contact your local MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub) or call the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000
• In an emergency, always call 999