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For parents worried about their child. Professionals who can advise without automatically triggering a referral.
The Safeguard Hub · safeguard-hub.org/for-police/ · May 2026
Parents at a school safeguarding event fall into three states: those already worried (wanting validation and next steps), those curious but not anxious (wanting information), and those sceptical (there under mild social pressure, likely to leave if lectured). The police badge creates a specific dynamic. Some are immediately reassured; others carry historical mistrust. Read the room in the first two minutes before settling your tone.
"The most common entry point for a young person into county lines is someone giving them a second phone. Not selling drugs, just holding a phone and passing on messages. That phone is how the network controls them. If your child has a phone you didn't give them and can't explain where it came from, ask about it. You don't need to accuse them. Just ask."
Other concrete warning signs for parents:
"Most young people who carry a knife carry it because they're frightened, not because they want to hurt anyone. The problem is that carrying makes them significantly more likely to be stabbed, not less. If you think your child might be carrying because they're scared, the conversation to have is: what are you scared of, and how can we make that safer, not whether they're carrying a knife."
If a parent asks what to do if they find a knife:
"Take it somewhere safe. Don't hand it back to your child. Call 101 for advice on how to hand it in. Then have a conversation, not a confrontation."