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Parent carers’ and teenagers’ guides to a happy healthy winter | Worcestershire County Council

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Information, advice and guidance for happy and healthy teenagers through the winter months.

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On side is a charity established in 1993, stemming from a belief that everyone has the right to be a valued human being and to be treated in a just and fair manner.

We currently work across Worcestershire & Herefordshire, providing a wide range of support services to ensure fairness and equality for all members of our community who may be vulnerable, disadvantaged or discriminated against.

With your support, we can do more!

Volunteer

The involvement and commitment of volunteers is vital to the support we are able to offer to those using our services.

Our volunteers come from a wide range of diverse backgrounds, contributing varied work and life experiences.

Find out more

Fundraise

Our aim is to finance our activities through a broad range of funding bodies to ensure we remain independent and to support long term sustainability. During an average twelve months we deliver services to around 8500 people and we could help so many moreif we had additional funds.

Find out more

Liam's Story

"Even though my circumstances at home haven't actually changed. My son is still very ill. I realized the other day, that I haven't had any panic attacks since about the second week of MoodMaster! I used to have them all the time.....and I mean all the time!! (Regularly.... Sometimes more than once a day). I haven't had even one recently! I'm feeling so much calmer and more in control. It [MoodMaster] really is making a huge difference to my life."
Read more...

Brandon's Story

Brandon had shared that he had a drink problem for 18 months before attending MM, due to his marriage breakdown - "I have learnt to master new skills to control my emotional state and outlook on life. I have made significant changes to my lifestyle since attending MoodMaster. I take more exercise, am more relaxed, address problems more logically, identify things that are out of my control and I cannot change."

Brandon reported that he had stopped drinking alcohol, used meditation to get to sleep and took himself for a 20 minute walk every day since attending MoodMaster.
Read more...

Discover Mix Cafe

Mix is all about people. Whether that is making sure our customers have the best service and produce possible, or that people facing disadvantage, who work in our café, get the right support to gain new skills and change their lives.

What is not to love about Mix? Delicious high quality homemade food and a café raising money to help the most disadvantaged people in Worcestershire.

WE TURN SMALL CHANGE INTO BIG CHANGE

ONSIDE Independent Advocacy, Williamson House, 14 Charles Street, Worcester WR1 2AQ

T 01905 27525 E info@onside-advocacy.org.uk
Registered Charity No 1102022 Company No 4923990 © ONSIDE 2018

SITE MAP // ACCESSIBILITY // POLICIES // TERMS & CONDITIONS

A WEBSITE BY T HISISUNION

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ONSIDE - Independent Advocacy in Worcestershire

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ONSIDE is a Worcestershire and Herefordshire based charity which supports vulnerable people disadvantaged by disability, mental ill health, learning difficulties.

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Do something Mighty in 2024

Take on a Mighty Hike to support people living with cancer. Choose from 15 routes and challenge yourself to a full or half marathon across some of the UK's most breathtaking landscapes! Sign up today and get 20% off with EARLYBIRD20.

Do something Mighty in 2024

Take on a Mighty Hike to support people living with cancer. Choose from 15 routes and challenge yourself to a full or half marathon across some of the UK's most breathtaking landscapes! Sign up today and get 20% off with EARLYBIRD20.

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Macmillan Cancer Support | The UK's leading cancer care charity

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Macmillan Cancer Support is here to listen, support you through treatment, and help with money. We fundraise so we can do whatever it takes.

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Support for young people when a family member is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

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Need support for young family members?We can help. Need support for young family members?We can help. Hope is a UK …

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How Hope helps

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The Mix Free Counselling Service For Under 25s | The Mix

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The Mix Counselling service is suitable for you if you are looking for short-term help with your mental health and emotional wellbeing.

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Information and advice for families with children and young people with SEN and/or disabilities.

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SEND Local Offer - Worcestershire (signed)

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Introduction

Children can be exposed to different views and receive information from various sources. Some of these views may be considered radical or extreme.

Radicalisation is the process through which a person comes to support or be involved in extremist ideologies. It can result in a person becoming drawn into terrorism and is in itself a form of harm.

Extremism is vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. It includes calls for the death of members of the British armed forces (HM Government, 2011).

Challenging and tackling extremism needs to be a shared effort (HM Government, 2013). For this reason, the Government has given some types of organisations in England, Scotland and Wales a duty to identify vulnerable children and young people and prevent them from being drawn into terrorism.
> Find out more about the Prevent duty
However, all organisations that work with children and young people have a responsibility to protect children from harm. This includes becoming radicalised and/or being exposed to extreme views.

On this page we're sharing best practice about recognising, responding to and preventing radicalisation and extremism.

Recognising and responding

Recognising and responding

How does radicalisation happen?

The process of radicalisation may involve:

being groomed online or in person

exploitation, including sexual exploitation

psychological manipulation

exposure to violent material and other inappropriate information

the risk of physical harm or death through extremist acts.

It happens gradually so children and young people who are affected may not realise what it is that they are being drawn into.
> Find out more about grooming
Vulnerability factors

Anyone can be radicalised but there are some factors which may make a young person more vulnerable. These include:

being easily influenced or impressionable

having low self-esteem or being isolated

feeling that rejection, discrimination or injustice is taking place in society

experiencing community tension amongst different groups

being disrespectful or angry towards family and peers

having a strong need for acceptance or belonging

experiencing grief such as loss of a loved one.

These factors will not always lead to radicalisation.

Indicators of radicalisation

If a child or young person is being radicalised their day-to-day behaviour may become increasingly centred around an extremist ideology, group or cause. For example, they may:

spend increasing amounts of time talking to people with extreme views (this includes online and offline communication)

change their style of dress or personal appearance

lose interest in friends and activities that are not associated with the extremist ideology, group or cause

have material or symbols associated with an extreme cause

try to recruit others to join the cause

(Home Office, 2020).

What to do if you think a child is being radicalised

If you think a child or the people around them are involved in radicalisation and there is an immediate risk of harm, call 999 straight away.

If it isn't an emergency, follow your organisation's procedures. This might include:

The Department for Education has a dedicated telephone helpline for schools in England who have non-emergency concerns about extremism: 020 7340 7264.

Protecting children from radicalisation

Protecting children from radicalisation

What can organisations do?

Your organisation should:

include radicalisation in your safeguarding policies and procedures

identify those at risk and make sure everyone in your organisation knows when to report a concern

work in partnership with other organisations across the community

promote positive messages of tolerance and community cohesion

help parents and children get support.

> Find out more about safeguarding in faith communities
Policies and procedures

Protecting children and young people from being drawn into radicalisation and extremism should be part of your safeguarding policies and procedures. This should include information about how to recognise and respond to radicalisation, both online and offline.

The Prevent duty guidance for England, Wales and Scotland specifies the need for schools to have appropriate web filtering systems in place to protect children from terrorist and extremist content online (Home Office, 2021a; 2021b). This is also good practice for other organisations.
> Learn more about writing a safeguarding policy and procedures > Find out more about writing an online safety policy statement
Risk assessment

The risk of children and young people becoming radicalised may vary from area to area. It is important that you understand the risks that are most relevant to the young people you work with so you can respond in an appropriate way.

The Home Office has provided a vulnerability framework as part of its Channel duty guidance (PDF), which can be used to identify those who may be at risk of becoming radicalised (Home Office, 2020).

Training

Staff and volunteers should be fully trained to understand how children can become radicalised, recognise the signs that a child may be at risk and know what action to take.
> Browse our introductory child protection training > Take a look at our online safety training
Working in partnership

It's important that agencies across the community work together to tackle the threat of radicalisation and extremism. One way to do this is to think about spaces where radicalisation may take place and work together to make them safer.
> Find out more about contextual safeguarding
Positive messages

You can build young people's resilience to radicalisation and extremism by:

helping improve their self-esteem and self-confidence

promoting inclusivity and community cohesion

providing a safe environment for debating a range of issues such as British values, recognising and managing risk, making safer choices and the impact of pressure from others

helping young people understand how they can influence and participate in decision making.

Supporting vulnerable children and families

Getting early help to those at risk is vital. Work with other groups and agencies in the local community to provide children and families with appropriate support, welfare and pastoral care.
> Get more information about early help

The Prevent duty

The Prevent duty

Some organisations in England, Scotland and Wales have a duty, as a specified authority under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, to identify vulnerable children and young people and prevent them from being drawn into terrorism. This is known as the Prevent duty.

These organisations include:

schools

registered childcare providers

local authorities

the police

prisons and probation services

NHS trusts and foundations.

Other organisations may also have Prevent duties if they perform delegated local authority functions.

Even if your organisation doesn't have a legal Prevent duty, you should still work to prevent radicalisation and extremism as part of your overall safeguarding responsibilities.

What are my responsibilities under the Prevent duty?

There is Prevent duty guidance for specified authorities in England and Wales and separate guidance for Scotland (Home Office, 2021a; 2021b). This details the responsibilities of organisations in different sectors.

There is no specific Prevent guidance for Northern Ireland. This is explained in sections 11.59-11.6 of the Prevent strategy (PDF) (HM Government, 2011).

The Department for Education (DfE) has guidance on how to report any concerns about a child or young person in England who may be vulnerable to radicalisation (DfE, 2022b).

The DfE has produced advice on the Prevent duty for schools and childcare providers in England (DfE, 2015). This gives more detailed guidance about the actions schools and childcare providers should take to prevent and respond to concerns about radicalisation.

The DfE has also produced guidance for further education (FE) and skills providers in England on work based learning and the Prevent statutory duty (DfE, 2021a). This includes advice on how FE colleges and skills providers can work together to ensure safeguards are put in place to protect vulnerable young people from radicalisation and extremism.

The DfE has provided a self-assessment tool to help FE providers in England to review their Prevent responsibilities (DfE, 2021b).

There is also specific DfE guidance for designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) and those working in education settings who have safeguarding responsibilities (DfE, 2022a). It provides advice on understanding and identifying learners vulnerable to radicalisation and managing the risk of radicalisation.

References and resources

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Radicalisation and child protection | NSPCC Learning

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Introduction Children can be exposed to different views and receive information from various sources. Some of these views may be considered radical or extreme. Radicalisation is the process through which a person comes to support or be involved in extremist ideologies. It can result in a person becoming drawn into terrorism and is in itself a form of harm.

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If you’re being stalked, contact the police or get advice from organisations including the National Stalking helpline.

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Stalking can be defined as persistent and unwanted attention that makes you feel pestered and harassed. We’re here to listen and support you.

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Gender Identity & Mental Health | Guide For Parents

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If your child is transgender or struggling with their gender identity, read our information and advice on supporting them and on where you can get help.

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Gender Space offers a social model of support for children, young people and their families who are trans, gender diverse or gender questioning. We recognise the importance of gender identity being validated and expressed in a safe space, which is what we seek to provide in this service. Our support is primarily online, and is a mixture of one-to-one, group work, and therapeutic support. If you would like to make a referral to this service, please email [email protected] .

We can help with

Mental health

Services supporting children and young people's emotional health and wellbeing. We have centres where children and young people can visit and have a trained worker they can trust and talk to. We help them build their confidence and get to the root of their difficulties.

Find out more about Mental health

Search for Mental health services

Rights and participation

Enabling and supporting children and young people to participate in decision making processes

Search for Rights and participation services

Youth services

Supports individuals and groups, for example young people identifying as LGBTQ, in personal development and developing the skills to make positive life choices.

Search for Youth services services

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Gender Space offers a social model of support for children, young people and their families who are trans, gender diverse or gender questioning. We recognise

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Forced marriage | Worcestershire County Council

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A forced marriage is where one or both people do not consent to the marriage and pressure or abuse is used.

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What do we do to support with FGM?

Through the National FGM Centre, we work with professionals and in communities to educate and prevent FGM, breast flattening, and child abuse linked to faith or belief (CALFB) as well as other forms of harmful practices. The National FGM Centre was established in 2015 to achieve system change in the provision of services for children and their families who are affected by FGM. Our aim is to prevent new cases, protect children and young people, support those affected by FGM and other harmful practices, partner to deliver services and learn.

The National FGM Centre aims to:

prevent new cases of FGM, breast flattening, and child abuse linked to faith or belief

protect at-risk children and young people

support those affected by FGM, breast flattening, child abuse linked to faith or belief and other harmful practices

partner with other services

Between 2015-2023 the Centre has worked on over 900 referrals, supported the application of 48 FGM protection orders and has worked with over 300 women and girls, and their families, from over 65 different countries around the world.

Visit the National FGM Centre website to learn more or email [email protected] with any questions.

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Learn about female genital mutilation and the work we do to support girls at risk of or impacted by it with the National FGM Centre.

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FORWARD provides advice, one-to-one support and signposting to other services for women and girls affected by any form of violence. We provide advice and support on domestic abuse, sexual violence, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and other harmful practices. We won't judge you. We will help you to understand your options and provide you with the support that you need.

We also welcome for you to share with us any additional support you may need. If you, or someone you know, need support or simply want someone to talk to, please contact us now. All our support and counselling services are now also available online and via telephone.

Our services

Emotional support

One-to-one emotional support with a specialist psychotherapist

Group support

Help to access counselling and other relevant services

Access to specialist services

Help to access FGM specialist clinics, including accompaniment and support in translation (Arabic, Somali, Amharic, French and others). List of specialist clinics in the UK

Help to access other specialist services e.g legal services or advice

Casework support including accompaniment to social services

Referring and signposting to English for Speakers of Other Language (ESOL), IT and other education/training opportunities

Referrals and contact:

If you want to access one of our other services you can self-refer or be referred by an organisation or your GP by completing our referral form and email it to [email protected] .
Download Referral Form
Providing safe spaces for African and minority ethnic women

Our monthly coffee mornings provide a safe space for women to share, discuss and learn from each other's experiences. We run these informal sessions alongside specialists. We discuss important topics - including FGM, mental health, domestic violence, reproductive health and family law. Other topics discussed based on suggestions and outcomes from group discussions:

The impact of domestic violence on children's mental health

Dynamics between genders in the community

Intergenerational relationships

A woman's 'value' in the family, home and community

Sex and sexuality

If you are in an emergency
In an emergency, or if you or someone you know is an immediate risk of violence or FGM, call the police on 999. If you are unable to talk, you can make a Silent Call from your mobile to the police by dialing 999- then 55. This will alert the police that you are in an emergency. Here is more guidance on how to make a silent call.
Other services that can help you

Your Local Social Services Department - are able to protect you or provide support, you can contact them through your local council

Your Local Police Child Protection Unit - are able to protect you or provide support, you can contact them through your local police station. If you are in London you can also contact the Metropolitan Police Child Abuse Investigation Command on 020 7161 2888.

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FORWARD provides advice, one-to-one support and signposting to other services for women and girls affected by any form of violence. We provide advice and support on domestic abuse, sexual violence, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and other harmful practices. We won't judge you. We will help you to understand your options and provide you with [...]

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Domestic abuse: Resources for men | Worcestershire County Council

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Domestic abuse support | Worcestershire County Council

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If you are a victim of domestic abuse and violence, or know someone who is, there is help available.

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Bullying, harassment, stalking and hate crime | Worcestershire County Council

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Advice for parents and carers to help keep children safe from bullying, wherever it happens.

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Keeping your child safe from bullying online

Parents, you have a role to play. Remember, the police can often trace the perpetrators. You need to check that your child is safe and that they take care. Check their sites and monitor their browsing and mail content periodically. Sit down and talk to your child about his or her concerns.

Criminal Charges may be brought under The Harassment Act and other legislation that is there to protect you and your child. Talk to your family and those who you trust. A problem shared is a problem halved ! If you ever come across anything on the internet that makes you feel uncomfortable, no matter where it is, pleas e report it. Be Cyber-Savvy in all your on-line activities. Teach your children how to be Cyber-Savvy. Being Cyber-Savvy is the new "Don't talk to strangers"

Read this out to your child

Don't give your name, age, address or contact details to strangers over the internet even if they sound really friendly and you have spoken to them lots of times. If you have never met them, don't fall for their charm. A good person would never ask you to tell them personal information about yourself. If some over the internet or phone asks you for information, close the computer down or hang up the phone. Come and talk to me about it.

Don't tell people where you live or which school you go to. NEVER arrange to meet them. If a stranger asks you to meet them, see this as a warning sign and tell me or tell a grown up, a responsible person, about this. Confide in someone you trust. If you call a helpline, the volunteer might ask you some basic questions but that is OK provided you telephoned the helpline and they did not phone you.

Do not give any confidential information to someone who calls you. If you are worried or scared, hang up and come and talk to us. Tell your friends or tell us if you are worried about anything. We can help you. Also, change your log-in details regularly and change your passwords. When did you last change the password on your childs' mobile phone or computer. Who did you tell? The only two people you should share your password details with are your mum or dad.

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Bullying at school | Bullying advice for parents and children

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Bullying at school - Information and advice for parents dealing with bullying at school with practical solutions designed to help stop bullying

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Colour their Christmas and help Winston’s Wish can bring colour into the lives of bereaved children and young people over the festive period.

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Attendance Support for Parents and Carers

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Every child in the United Kingdom has the right to a full-time education, so that they can develop to their fullest potential and gain important skills that prepare them for the future, increasing their life choices. There are lots of benefits to attending school regularly, including: Improved…

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For the majority of pupils, the best environment to learn in is school, where being surrounded by teachers and friends helps keep them safe.

It's important for your child's academic achievement, as well as their wellbeing, wider development and mental health.

For example, data from 2019 shows that 84 percent of Key Stage 2 pupils who had 100% attendance achieved the expected standard, compared to 40 percent of pupils who were persistently absent across the key stage.

Higher attendance at school may also lead to better career progression with higher earnings post-16.

It's usually safe for parents and carers to send their children to school with mild illnesses, like a minor cough, runny nose or sore throat.

However, children should stay at home if they have a high temperature of 38C or above.

Children can sometimes feel a little bit worried about going to school. Mostly, this is a very normal emotion.

It's important to recognise that going into school can help children to feel less worried than letting them stay at home.

If your child is anxious over several weeks, talk to their school about how they can support you.

Children who are registered at a school but regularly fail to turn up are officially referred to as being 'persistently' or 'severely' absent.

The school day is split into two sessions - one session counts as a morning or afternoon spent in school.

Pupils who have missed more than 10 percent of school sessions are considered persistently absent, while children who have missed more than 50 percent of school sessions are referred to as severely absent.

When you register your child at school, you have a legal duty to ensure your child attends that school regularly.

This means that your child must attend every day that the school is open, unless:

Your child is too ill to attend that day.

You have asked in advance and been given permission by the school for your child to be absent on that day due to exceptional circumstances.

Your child cannot attend school on that day because it is a day you are taking part in religious observance.

Your local authority is responsible for arranging your child's transport to school and it is not available on that day or has not been provided yet; or

You are a gypsy/traveller family with no fixed abode, and you are required to travel for work that day meaning your child cannot attend their usual school.

In most circumstances, however, your child is required to attend another school temporarily during such absences.

These are the only circumstances where schools can permit your child to be absent.

What should I do if my child needs to be absent from school

You should contact their school as early as possible to explain why your child needs to be absent, for instance if they are too ill to attend school.

If not, your child's school will contact you on the first morning of their absence to find out why.

All parents can request a 'leave of absence' for their child which gives them permission to be absent from school.

These must be agreed with the school in advance and will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

Your child's headteacher has the final say over whether to approve the request and how long your child can be absent.

Other initiatives include:

Introducing a new   daily data tool which now makes it easier for school leaders and teachers to analyse attendance.

Establishing the attendance hubs programme, which supports schools across the country to share practical solutions on breaking down barriers to school attendance.

F orm ing an   Attendance Action Alliance of national education and sector leaders who are working together to target the reasons behind poor attendance.

Funding and expanding our  Attendance Mentors scheme. Delivered by children's charity Barnardo's, the programme targets areas of the country with the highest levels of pupil absence. Trained mentors work directly with persistently and severely absent children and their families, to identify barriers to attendance and help get children back into school.

Collecting evidence to inform future policy on children who are not registered at school or receiving suitable home education, to help us identify best practice to make sure all children are receiving an appropriate education.

Publishing  a toolkit for schools, which provides tips and templates for communicating with parents and carers about attendance.

Together, these measures aim to improve attendance, leading to better attainment and mental wellbeing amongst school children.

Children may struggle to attend school for a wide range of reasons.

If your child is struggling to attend school, both their school and your local authority also have responsibilities to help you to support your child's attendance.

In most cases, if your child's attendance level is falling, their school will contact you to explore the reasons and discuss what help can be put in place to help you overcome the barriers they are facing.

If your child is struggling to attend school, you can expect the school to meet with you, and your child if they are old enough.

The school will want to understand the reasons for their absence and what support you or they need to overcome the barriers to attendance they are experiencing.

Reasons that relate to being in school

If the barriers to your child's attendance are in school - such as they are having friendship problems - the school is responsible for working with you to help overcome the issues.

Information on who in school you can contact for help, including the school's senior leader responsible for attendance, can be found in the school's attendance policy on its website or available in hard copy from the school itself.

Reasons that relate to issues outside of school

If the barriers to attendance you or your child are facing go beyond the remit of the school - such as a transport or a mental health issue - both the school and local authority have a responsibility to help you.

This includes helping you to access the wider support you might need, for example from the school nurse or from local housing or transport teams.

Making a plan

As part of the conversation you have with your child's school you will agree a set of joint actions you will all take to help overcome any barriers to attendance.

This agreement will often include a commitment to refer or help you to access support services in exchange for an agreement from you to engage and take part in the support offered.

They will also arrange mutual convenient times for you to come together to review these commitments and your child's progress.

It may take the form of an informal action plan, an early help plan, or a parenting contract - depending on the complexity of the reasons for your child's absence.

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How to improve your child's school attendance and where to get support

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For the majority of pupils, the best environment to learn in is school, where being surrounded by teachers and friends helps keep them safe. It's important for your child's academic achievement, as well as their wellbeing, wider development and mental ...

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Children and young people involved with gangs and criminal exploitation need help and support. They might be victims of violence or pressured into doing things like stealing or carrying drugs or weapons. They might be abused, exploited and put into dangerous situations.

We have advice about what to do if a child is being groomed to join or has already joined a gang.

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We have advice about how to spot the signs of criminal exploitation and involvement in gangs and about what support is available for children and young people.

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There are a wide range of ways in which young people can become exploited and not all of them are immediately apparent. Furthermore, they can often change as criminal gangs become adept at ways to conceal tell tale signs. However, these include some typical ones:

Changes in behaviour - this could include your child going missing, changes in the way they dress and speak, verbally and/or physically aggressive behaviour, anxiety and distress.

Changes in friends and/or peer group

Coming home unusually dirty and extremely tired.

Not coming home at all or being away for extended periods without reason

Truancy - if your child is skipping school and you cannot account for their whereabouts.

Signs of physical injury - these can include injuries from assaults, concealing drugs and other illicit items in their bodies and self-harming.

Unexplained cash or possessions - if your child is in possession of things they normally cannot afford.

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Help for parents and caregivers - St Giles

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Help for parents and caregivers It can be extremely stressful if you suspect your child, or a child you are caring for, is involved in Child Criminal Exploitation. If you [...]

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Learn more about criminal exploitation of children, or child criminal exploitation (CCE) as it’s known, from Barnardo’s experts who work in this area.

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Smoke Free Homes service for Worcestershire Families

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Worcestershire launches new free stop smoking service this Stoptober | Worcestershire County Council

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Thousands of people across the country pledge to quit smoking every year for Stoptober on 1 October.

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Kooth is your online mental wellbeing community. Access free, safe and anonymous

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24/7

You can text us any time, day or night.

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Your messages with us are confidential and anonymous.

Free

It is free to text Shout from all major mobile networks in the UK.

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Donations doubled in the Big Give Christmas Challenge

Simply support Shout's Big Give campaign by midday on 5 December, and your donation will be doubled!

Can you help us hit our match funding target of £50,000 and support a further 5,000 people this winter?

Find out more

Get help

Ways to cope with upsetting events in the news

If you're feeling overwhelmed, anxious or sad about what's going on in the news, know that you're definitely not alone. Here are some actions we can take to help us cope better through times like this.

Find out more

I think Shout saved my life tonight... no one has ever made me feel so safe, listened to and understood

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Online resources and support

However you're feeling right now, you don't have to face it alone. We're here to support you with your mental health.

Take a look at our resources, information and support, find further help or reach out to one of our volunteers.

Resources for you

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Shout - UK's 24/7 Crisis Text Service for Mental Health Support

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Shout 85258 is the UK's first 24/7 text service for anyone in crisis. Get free, confidential mental health support anytime, anywhere. Text 'SHOUT' to 85258.

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Whatever you’re going through, call us free any time, from any phone, on 116 123.

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Find out what support is available to help with the cost of living: income and disability benefits, bills and allowances, childcare, housing and travel.

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Volunteer with us

Over 16,000 highly trained volunteers support the delivery of our service. Our volunteers come from a range of backgrounds and find volunteering rewarding, challenging and fun. We have a range of roles in local Citizens Advice and Witness Service, want to find out more?

Our volunteer opportunities

Find your local Citizens Advice

For more information and advice

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Online free advice from Citizens Advice to help you find a way forward, whatever the problem. Our research enables us to campaign on issues affecting people's lives.

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Feeling low or anxious is a normal response when you've lost your job, been made redundant, or you're struggling with debt.
You may be feeling, behaving or thinking in ways that are unfamiliar. But that does not necessarily mean you've got depression or an anxiety disorder.

How to survive financial stress

Stay active

Keep seeing your friends, keep your CV up to date, and try to keep paying the bills. If you have more time because you're not at work, do some form of exercise - physical activity can improve your mood if you're feeling low.

Get advice

If you're going into debt, get advice on how to prioritise your debts. When people feel anxious, they sometimes avoid talking to others. Some people can lose their confidence about driving or travelling. If this starts to happen, facing these situations will generally make them easier.

Do not drink too much alcohol

For some people with money worries, alcohol can become a problem. You may drink more than usual as a way of dealing with your emotions or just to fill in time. But alcohol will not help you deal with your problems and could add to your stress.
Get tips on how to cut down on alcohol
Do not give up your daily routine

Get up at your normal time and stick to your usual routine. If you lose your routine, it can affect your eating - you may stop cooking, miss breakfast because you're still in bed, or eat snacks instead of having proper meals.
Find out how to eat a balanced diet

More help for money problems

GOV.UK has information about a range of work and money-related issues including:

Finding a new job

GOV.UK also has a lot of information and advice if you're looking for work, including tips on writing a CV, planning your job hunt and applying for jobs online.

Coping with debt

Citizens Advice is a good place to get information about benefits, how to deal with debt, what you're entitled to if you're made redundant and who to speak to if you're at risk of losing your home.

Other organisations offering helpful advice online include:

Mental health and money

The charity Mind has a money and mental health section on its website, which includes advice on how to manage debt.

Mental Health & Money Advice offers information and advice for anyone struggling with money because of mental illness, or whose financial situation is affecting their mental health.

When you should get medical help

Most people who experience emotional distress find that after a few days or weeks they're able to tackle challenges, such as finding a new job.

See a GP if you're still feeling worried, anxious or low after a few weeks. If you think it will help, the GP can advise you about talking therapy services in your area.
You can also refer yourself directly to an NHS talking therapies service
Get help immediately if you cannot cope, if life is becoming very difficult or if you feel it is not worth living.

See a GP, call NHS 111 or contact a helpline such as Samaritans (call free on 116 123) for confidential, non-judgemental emotional support.
Find out more about mental health services

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Read about how worries about money or losing your job can affect mental wellbeing, plus tips on coping with anxiety and where to get help.

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Tips to help keep your child safe on Snapchat
1. Make sure they sign up with the correct age
Set up your child's Snapchat account together to make sure they sign up with correct age. This will automatically enable settings that help to limit unwanted contact from adults and access to certain features.
2. Talk to them about how to feel good on social media
Children and young people can face lots of different pressures online. Use Childline's advice about How to feel good on social media to help give them the tools to manage their wellbeing online.
3. Set rules around friends
Before your child starts using the app, talk to them about who they can be friends with on the app. Tell them to come to you if they receive a friend request from someone they don't know.
4. Know where to report
There is a chance that your child could come across inappropriate or upsetting content on Snapchat. If this happens, you should report it to the platform. To report a Snap or a story, press and hold on it, then select 'Report Snap'.
5. Talk about what is ok / not ok to share
Ensure that your child knows what personal and private information is, and what is, and is not, appropriate to share online.
6. Explore the safety features
Read below about the 10 safety features that are available, like privacy settings and 'Snapchat Family Centre'.

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1. Make sure they sign up with the correct age Set up your child's Snapchat account together to make sure they sign up with correct age. This will automatically enable settings that help to limit unwanted contact from adults and access to certain features. 2.

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Hate crime is the term used to describe an incident or crime against someone based on a part of their identity.

There are five categories of 'identity' when a person is targeted because of a hostility or prejudice towards their:

disability

race or ethnicity

religion or belief (which includes non-belief)

sexual orientation

gender identity.

Victim Support also recognises crimes targeted at alternative sub-cultures (such as Goth) as a form of hate crime.

Hate crime can be any criminal or non-criminal act such as graffiti, vandalism to a property, name calling, assault or online abuse using social media.

Experiencing hate crime can be a particularly frightening experience as you've been targeted because of who you are, or who or what your attacker thinks you are. Unlike non-identity related offences, the attack is very personal and specifically targeted, which means it's less likely to be a random attack.

Hate incidents can feel like crimes to people who suffer them and often escalate to crimes or tension in a community. You can report such incidents, but the police can only prosecute when the law is broken. However, the police can work with other organisations to prevent the situation escalating.

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Hate crime is the term used to describe an incident or crime against someone based on a part of their identity. There are five categories of 'identity' when a person is targeted because of a hostility or prejudice towards their: disability race or ethnicity religion or belief (which includes non-belief) sexual orientation gender identity.

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If you are a victim of hate crime or know someone who is, there are various support agencies in place to support and offer guidance.

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Information for parents and carers | Worcestershire County Council

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The Education Engagement Team delivers statutory functions on behalf of the Local Authority, seeking to ensure each child’s and young person’s right to education.

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Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

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We provide a wide range of services to meet the needs of children, young people and their families. These include (but are not limited to):

School Health Nurses can also signpost to other services that may be of use to you:

We are Specialist Public Health Nurses who deliver the universal elements of the Healthy Child Programme (HCP) to all children and young people aged 5-19 and ensure that they and their families get early help and support when they need it. In 2012 The Department of Health, Department of Education and key stakeholders created a new model and vision for our service called 'Getting it right for children, young people and families' (March 2012) which we follow in addition to the Healthy Child Programme. This new vision includes the following key aspects of our service:

Improved health outcomes for children, young people and families

Improved partnership working between School Health Nurses, schools and parenting support

Quality Improvements in the School Health Nursing Service

What do we do?

School Health Nurses provide opportunities for children and young people in mainstream school and Pupil Referral Units to access confidential advice and support via a weekly nurse led Time4U clinic. This can include health concerns such as emotional worries and stress to alcohol and drug dependency. The School Health Nurse is able to provide sexual health advice which includes, emergency contraception, condom supply, pregnancy testing, and signposting to other agencies.

Additionally, School Health Nurses work with young people who may have issues such as weight concerns mental and emotional health, accident prevention; attendance at A&E, domestic violence concerns, substance misuse.

We have a separate team of trained Special School Nurses who support children and young people attending one of Worcestershire's 7 Special Schools. The Special School Nursing service provides support to Special Schools to enable the school to meet the holistic care needs of children and young people when attending school. Although this is primarily through training and supporting school staff, all children can access direct support and advice from the Special School Nurse if they choose.

The safeguarding of children and young people is paramount. The Health Care Support Workers weigh and measure all reception and year 6 children on an annual basis and each parent receives the results and a contact number if they wish to discuss their child's results with the School Health Nurse.

Safeguarding and Children in Need make up a large percentage of our workload. This involves attending case conferences, core groups, other relevant meetings, undertaking health assessments and working very closely with the children, young people and their families. We work hard to make sure that this does not reduce the amount of time we spend with other children, young people and families who may need our help and/or support.

Where can I see the School Health Nurse?

They are available within schools at varying times and the School will always have a contact number. Parents can see them at school via prior arrangement within the school term or within their home. At secondary Schools the Children and Young People can either arrange to see the School Health Nurse via an appointment system or Drop in to the Time 4 U. These are held weekly for up to three hours.

Who works in the School Health Nursing service?

The School Health Service is mainly made up of Specialist Community Public Health Nurses, Community Staff Nurses who have a variety of skills, academic qualifications and expertise within varying areas such as sexual health, Children's health, mental health, health promotion and teaching. We have Health Care Support workers with a range of training and skills working with children, young people and parents, alongside the School Health Nurses on a day to day basis.

There are also administration staff within clinics who also have a range of skills and expertise within the administration field.

Who do we work with?

We work in partnership with schools and other key professionals to develop and implement a robust child and young person identification, support and monitoring system, which is activated at school entry and at key points of transition. This system will include the following elements:

A welcome pack outlining School Health services will be sent out in reception, during transitions to middle and high schools and where pupils are a new entry into a school.

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Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

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We provide a wide range of services to meet the needs of children, young people and their families. These include (but are not limited to): School Health Nurses can also signpost to other services that may be of use to you: We are Specialist Public Health Nurses who deliver the universal elements of the Healthy Child Programme (HCP) to all children and young people aged 5-19 and ensure that they and their families get early help and support when they need it.

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Wellbeing and Emotional Support Teams in Schools

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Mental health support for children and young people in school

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Wellbeing and Emotional Support Teams in Schools

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Mental health support for children and young people in school

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Redditch Foodbank | Helping Local People in Crisis

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Tips on talking to children about terrorism and protecting children from radicalisation.

Subject area:

Radicalisation, Terrorism

Resources:

Parent information

Format:

Videos, Web pages

Resource pack for secondary pupils to support classroom discussions about fundamental British values.

Subject area:

Debate and discussion, Fundamental British Values, Let's Discuss

Age group:

KS 3, KS 4

Resources:

Lesson ideas, Teacher guidance

Format:

Pdf, Presentation slides, Videos

An informative website providing guidance and support for anyone who is concerned that someone they know may be at risk of radicalisation or extremism.

Subject area:

Prevent duty, Radicalisation, Reporting concerns, Safeguarding, Terrorism

Resources:

Reporting tool

Format:

Web pages

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Educate Against Hate - Prevent Radicalisation & Extremism

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Tips on talking to children about terrorism and protecting children from radicalisation. Subject area: Radicalisation, Terrorism Resources: Parent information Format: Videos, Web pages Resource pack for secondary pupils to support classroom discussions about fundamental British values.

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Gender-based violence is violence which takes place primarily because of the gender or perceived gender of the victim. The term also covers crimes which are disproportionately committed against people of a particular gender. A gender-based crime may be committed against a person who is still in utero.

Gender-based violence is a big issue in the UK and around the world and is often an act of power or control. It is used to humiliate and dominate a person, so that the perpetrators can continue to have undue influence over the individual or individuals that are being targeted. Acts such as rape in war are also used as a way to dehumanise subjects.

Gender-based violence is sometimes referred to as Violence against Women, as these types of crimes have historically occurred against women. In recent years, the definition has been expanded to cover anyone who is experiencing crime due to their gender. As transgender issues have become more mainstream in recent years, there has been an increase in trans individuals reporting incidents of gender-based violence. The increase in reporting may suggest that trans individuals feel more confident about reporting gender-based crimes to the police which also helps when a victim wants to start legal action for criminal injury compensation.

Trans rights activists have previously argued that trans people under-reported gender-based incidents to the police due to a lack of acceptance within the law enforcement community. Although the situation is starting to improve, prejudices still lead to under reporting.

On a global scale, gender-based violence can be categorised in two ways:

Violence by an individual (or group).

Violence which is committed by the state (or sanctioned by the ruling bodies).

Examples of violence committed by individuals include;

rape,

sexual harassment,

sexual coercion,

forced prostitution,

domestic violence,

prenatal selection,

female infanticide.

In some places, the state (or ruling group) may allow (or fail to control) acts of gender-based violence. Examples of these acts of violence include;

female genital mutilation (also known as female circumcision),

forced abortion,

forced sterilisation,

forced marriage,

forced pregnancy,

honour based killings,

sexual slavery,

war rape.

China's One Child policy could be considered as a form of state-enabled gender-based violence, because evidence shows that citizens are more likely to abandon or commit infanticide of female children.

There are many other examples of gender-based violence, including examples where women are subject to practices which force them to alter their appearance so that they conform to pre-determined beauty standards. Examples include; force-feeding and genital mutilation. Alternatively, acts of gender-based violence may be committed with the intention of disfiguring women, so that they no longer conform to societal beauty standards. These are acts of power and control.

Marital rape is an example of gender-based violence which was outlawed in the United Kingdom in 1991. Before that men were permitted to have sex with their wife without their explicit permission. The marriage license was considered to be adequate consent in these situations. Although women could technically commit spousal rape against their husbands, the issue was primarily faced by women who struggled to defend themselves against people who were physically stronger than they were. In most cases, it would be easier for men to prevent unwanted sex acts within marriage due to physiological differences.

Social Impacts of Gender-Based Violence

In areas where gender-based violence is prevalent, the groups which are being targeted may completely lack a voice. For example, women are effectively silenced in many areas because they are routinely affected by gender-based violence. In these areas, it is much harder for women to get positions of power or high-paying job roles. Groups that are victimised are unable to contribute socially, politically and economically to their community. This can make it even harder for these groups to change the system and end the cycle of violence.

Gender-based violence may also increase the strain on health resources. For example, HIV/AIDS rates are much higher in areas with high levels of gender-based violence against women. It is difficult to prevent the spread of these diseases when women are regularly infected as part of the cycle of violence. Children who are born as a result of gender-based violence may also be neglected or may subsequently be harmed by the abuser.

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Gender-based violence is violence which takes place primarily because of the gender or perceived gender of the victim. The term also covers crimes which are disproportionately committed against people of a particular gender. A gender-based crime may be committed against a person who is still in utero.

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Whatever stage you're at after rape or sexual assault, whether you are already receiving support from WMRSASC, or if you're a family member or friend, you may find the following information and resources helpful.

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Whatever stage you're at after rape or sexual assault, whether you are already receiving support from WMRSASC, or if you're a family member or friend, you may find the following information and resources helpful.

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How to protect, advise and support victims of forced marriage, including information and practice guidelines for professionals.

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Sorry, the page you’re looking for cannot be found.
Use the menu above or search box to navigate back to the site, there are also some useful links below for you to help.

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Resources Hub| Help With Bullying Advice | Kidscape

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Leading bullying prevention charity Kidscape share resources teaching how to deal with bullying and support young people affected. Learn more.

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Home - Bereavement Support South Worcestershire

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St Richard’s Hospice - Caring, compassionate, committed & professional

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St Richard’s Hospice cares for adults with a serious progressive illness, improving their quality of life during treatment

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Smoking - how to discourage your children

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Children are less likely to smoke if their parents do not smoke.

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Charity fighting hate crimes and discrimination

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Support victims of stalking through the National Stalking Helpline and London Stalking Support Service, as well as training for organisations in Lone Working and Personal Safety as well as Stalking Awareness. We want to reduce the risk of violence and aggression through campaigning, education and support.

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In addition, it funds hairdressing training for young people who may not otherwise have the funds to study - something Hollie was talented at and passionate about.

The ultimate aim of the Trust is to positively change the lives of young people through partnerships in communities, as well as working alongside other charities and professional agencies.

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Hollie Gazzard Trust - Hope, Passion And A Life Fulfilled - Hollie Gazzard Trust

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In addition, it funds hairdressing training for young people who may not otherwise have the funds to study - something Hollie was talented at and passionate about. The ultimate aim of the Trust is to positively change the lives of young people through partnerships in communities, as well as working alongside other charities and professional agencies.

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The National Crime Agency's CEOP Education team aim to help protect children and young people from online child sexual abuse.

We do this through our education programme, providing training, resources and information to professionals working with children, young people and their families.

I am:

Respecting me, you, us: building healthy relationships and creating positive cultures is a CEOP Education resource for 12 -14 year olds developed in association with clinical psychologist, Dr. Elly Hanson.

Under 18 and worried about online sexual abuse?
To report, click to visit the CEOP Safety Centre.

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The CEOP Education programme from the National Crime Agency's CEOP Education team aims to protect children and young people aged 4-18 from online child sexual abuse.

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Benefits calculators

You can use an independent benefits calculator to find out:

what benefits you could get

how to claim

how your benefits will be affected if you start work

These are free to use, anonymous, and have replaced the Benefits Adviser service. Click here to visit the Gov.uk website and find out more about benefits calculators and how to access them.

Claim Child Benefit

You can claim Child Benefit if you're responsible for bringing up a child who is:

Only one person can get Child Benefit for a child.

It's paid every 4 weeks and there's no limit to how many children you can claim for. Click here to find out more.

Search for your local Citizens Advice

Some local Citizens Advice can only give you advice if you live in their local council area. It's usually best to contact a Citizens Advice based in your local council area. Click here to find your local Citizens Advice.

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Financial and childcare support for families

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Detail of the support available to families in Worcestershire

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Helping gender-diverse kids, young people and their families since 1995

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We involve young people in all aspects of our programmes to ensure youth voice is at the heart of everything we do! We are particularly proud of our National Anti-Bullying Ambassador Youth Board, sponsored by the Department of Education.

Our Youth Board members are young people from across England who are passionate about putting an end to bullying behaviour, celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion. Their experiences and feedback form the very foundation of our work, as well as the safety strategies of some of our partner organisations, including Facebook.

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We are the living legacy to Princess Diana's belief that young people have the power to change the world for the better.

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We involve young people in all aspects of our programmes to ensure youth voice is at the heart of everything we do! We are particularly proud of our National Anti-Bullying Ambassador Youth Board, sponsored by the Department of Education.

Our Youth Board members are young people from across England who are passionate about putting an end to bullying behaviour, celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion. Their experiences and feedback form the very foundation of our work, as well as the safety strategies of some of our partner organisations, including Facebook.

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We are the living legacy to Princess Diana's belief that young people have the power to change the world for the better.

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Our goal is to end Honour Based Abuse in the UK. We run a national helpline, offer training to professionals, gather data to inform policies and services, and campaign for change.

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Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Login | Site Map | Website by From the Sticks

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Who's this guidance for?

Criminal exploitation of children, young people and vulnerable adults for the supply of drugs, and transportation of the associated money and weapons, has a devastating impact on victims, families and local communities but is often not recognised by those who are best placed to spot it. This guidance is intended to explain the nature of this harm to enable practitioners to recognise its signs and respond appropriately so that victims and potential victims get the protection and support they need.

This guidance is primarily aimed at frontline staff in England and Wales who work with children, young people and vulnerable adults. This includes professionals working in:

adult social care, children's social care and early help/family support

the benefits system

prisons, probation and youth justice

multi-agency partnerships

related partner organisations, for example in the voluntary sector.

The signs and vulnerabilities associated with county lines exploitation may present differently to different professionals and safeguarding processes will vary depending on local contexts. However, the information provided here is intended to be useful to all. This document provides links to other resources to assist professionals to consider in further detail how this guidance relates to their role and responsibilities. It may also be helpful for carers, parents and others in the community, although they are not the primary audience.

This guidance does not attempt to provide information about the entirety of the county lines issue or the UK Government's response.

It has been produced by the Home Office in co-operation with other government departments, the Welsh Government, statutory agencies and voluntary sector partners.

A number of real-life case studies are provided to illustrate some of the ways exploitation can take place and professionals have identified victims and to demonstrate some of the good practices in responding.

What is county lines exploitation?

"County lines" is a violent and exploitative form of drug distribution. A common feature of county lines is the exploitation of children, young people and vulnerable adults who are instructed to deliver and/or store drugs, and associated money or weapons, to dealers or drug users, locally or in other counties.

The UK Government defines county lines as:

"County lines is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into one or more importing areas within the UK, using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of "deal line". They are likely to exploit children and vulnerable adults to move and store the drugs and money and they will often use coercion, intimidation, violence (including sexual violence) and weapons." ( Serious Violence Strategy)

While county lines victims are not limited to under 18 year olds, where a child is exploited, it is often described as child criminal exploitation.

The UK Government defines child criminal exploitation as:

"Child criminal exploitation is common in county lines and occurs where 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. The victim may have been criminally exploited even if the activity appears consensual. Child criminal exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology." ( Serious Violence Strategy)

Criminal exploitation of children is broader than just county lines and includes, for instance, children forced to work on cannabis farms or to commit theft. However, many of the characteristics of county lines exploitation will be present in other forms of child criminal exploitation. Likewise, victims of county lines may also experience other overlapping forms of exploitation, such as sexual, in addition to criminal.

Forms and methods of exploitation

County lines exploitation can be perpetrated by individuals or groups of any gender or nationality and can appear unsophisticated or organised. It is typified by some form of power imbalance, which perpetrators use to force, coerce, groom and/or entice victims into county lines activity. They can employ several methods to do so, such as:

offering an exchange - carrying drugs in return for something, such as money, clothes, drugs, status, protection or perceived friendship, a sense of belonging or identity, or affection;

physical violence or threats of violence - used to intimidate and punish victims and their families and can involve weapons, including knives and firearms;

abduction or kidnapping - sometimes victims are forcibly moved and held in a location away from home;

emotional abuse or psychological coercive control - by manipulating, threatening, controlling or monitoring the movements of the victim;

sexual abuse and exploitation - this can be experienced by all genders;

blackmail - by forcing victims to commit a crime so they can hold it over them and threaten to report it if they do not comply;

the use of social media, messaging apps, gaming sites and other online platforms - including marketplace websites and smart TVs to target and communicate with victims. These modes are used by exploiters to falsely build online trusted relationships, or to post fraudulent job adverts which seem legitimate, or to cyberstalk victims in order to groom, entrap and coerce them into county lines activity;

"cuckooing" (also known as "forced home invasion") - a tactic used by criminals, typically drug dealers, to take over the homes of vulnerable individuals, such as care leavers or those with addiction, physical or mental health issues, and use the property as a base for criminal activity. This is a common characteristic of the county lines business model and can occur in a range of settings such as rental and private properties, student accommodation, prisons, and commercial properties;

coerced internal concealment (also known as "plugging") - the practice whereby a child or vulnerable adult is controlled or coerced into concealing drugs internally as a method of transportation to avoid detection. Drugs or sim cards are usually concealed within a condom or similar packaging and inserted into a bodily orifice (rectum or vagina) using lubricant, or swallowed;

debt bondage - a form of entrapment when a victim owes money to their exploiters and is made to repay their debt, either financially or through another means such as transporting drugs. The exploiter may groom the victim by initially providing money or goods which the victim will then be made to pay back. The exploiter may also deliberately manufacture a debt, for example by staging a robbery of drugs or cash in the victim's possession in order to extort money from families or to ensure the victim will continue to perform tasks for them. The debt may also be inherited from parents and siblings; and

financial exploitation - financial exploitation can take many forms. In this context, we use the term to describe exploitation which takes place for the purpose of money laundering. This is when criminals target children and adults at risk and take advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, control, manipulate, or deceive them into facilitating the movement of illicit funds. This can include physical cash and/or payments through financial products, such as bank and cryptocurrency accounts.

Case study (British Transport Police)

Who is vulnerable to county lines exploitation?

Any child, young person or vulnerable adult could be a victim of county lines exploitation as exploiters continue to adapt who they target to avoid detection.

age: 15-17 year olds make up the majority of the vulnerable people involved in county lines but children of primary school age and adults are also known to be targeted (National County Lines Coordination Centre).

sex/gender: people of all genders can be exploited. Women and girls may be exploited to perform different roles and may experience other forms of harm alongside and so are often under-identified as victims of criminal exploitation - professionals should not make assumptions when working with a girl or young woman about the intervention required.

ethnicity: people from all ethnicities and nationalities are targeted and the demographics of victims of exploitation vary across England and Wales. In some areas, there is an over-representation of people from black and mixed ethnic groups, while in others, victims are mainly white.

location: county lines are widespread nationally, in rural and urban areas, and while they can involve the movement of drugs across county borders from one area of the UK to another, some lines supply the drugs market locally, within the same town, city or county in which they originate. County lines grooming can take place in a range of settings, including in homes, public spaces, schools and universities, prisons and youth offender institutions as well as online.

Some of the factors that may heighten a person's vulnerability include:

having contact with the criminal justice system - even for minor offences that do not appear to be related to county lines;

having experience of neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse/exploitation or a lack of a safe/stable home environment, now or in the past (including domestic abuse, parental substance misuse or parental criminal involvement) - trauma, including adverse childhood experiences, can negatively impact on an individual's ability to develop trusted relationships or access support services;

social isolation or social difficulties - the lack of a support network can mean someone is less able to get help;

economic vulnerability - offers of material possessions or money for victims or their family may be more readily accepted out of a feeling of necessity and lack of legitimate financial alternatives;

homelessness or insecure accommodation status - there is a lack of a safe environment to provide security and privacy;

connections with other people in gangs - some individuals are targeted through family or friends who are already involved in criminal activity themselves and sometimes a drug debt owed by them is passed on to peers or family members;

having a physical or learning disability, or being neurodivergent - victims may be less able to recognise they are being exploited, or less able to communicate it or access support;

having mental health issues - exploiters may target poor emotional wellbeing or low self-esteem;

having substance misuse issues - victims are sometimes given substances in lieu of payment;

being in or leaving care - the context behind why a person is brought into care can heighten a person's vulnerability in itself, while those in semi- independent/independent accommodation, placed out-of-area or leaving care may have less access to support networks;

being excluded from mainstream education, and/or a pupil at an alternative provision such as a pupil referral unit - factors influencing a child's exclusion may indicate they are exposed to exploitation, while being disengaged from meaningful activity and peers can evoke feelings of disenfranchisement and, for those with a reduced timetable or not attending school at all, time spent unsupervised can offer opportunities for exploitation; and

insecure immigration status - for example, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and refugees may have a number of vulnerability factors that can increase their exposure to exploitation, including social/cultural isolation on arrival to the country and potentially links to organised crime from their journey.

It is important to remember that risk factors such as these are never the cause of a vulnerable person's exploitation into county lines activity; rather, they give rise to the imbalance of power which perpetrators often seek to abuse.

Moreover, there are recorded cases of exploitation of individuals with no known risk factors and who were not previously known to services (sometimes referred to as "clean skins" by exploiters), as they were deemed less likely to attract attention from authorities.

Signs to look out for

Professionals should not expect victims to report their exploitation as they may not identify or be able to express that they are being exploited. They may also be too afraid to tell professionals what is happening for fear of retaliation by their exploiter.

However, their exploitation through county lines often leaves signs. Any sudden changes in a person's lifestyle should be discussed with them.

Some potential signs of county lines exploitation include, but are not limited to:

Behaviours

Possessions

unexplained acquisition of money, clothes, or mobile phones;

excessive receipt of texts/phone calls and/or having multiple sim cards or handsets - this could be a 'burner phone', often an older model which uses an unregistered sim card, but it may also be a smart phone which can utilise web-based apps without a phone number;

carrying or storing weapons;

misuse of substances or possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia such as discarded needles, scales, small snappy bags or cling film;

possession of train tickets for unusual train journeys; and

possession of a rucksack or a bag that they are very attached to or will not put down.

Relationships

Appearance

suspicion of physical assault/unexplained injuries - these tend to be visible but minor injuries which are issued as a threat, such as cigarette burns or small cuts, but can also be much more serious life-threatening injuries, such as stab wounds.

Signs to look out for online include:

Signs of a cuckooed property include:

Signs of coerced internal concealment include:

refusing to consume food or drink;

being in possession of lubricants, condoms or similar packaging;

a dishevelled appearance with stained clothing; and

being physically unwell.

Signs of financial exploitation or a debt bondage include:

What to do if you are concerned

Safeguarding

Any child, young person or vulnerable adult who you think may be at risk of county lines exploitation requires a safeguarding response.

The statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children sets out what professionals and organisations in England need to do, individually and in partnership with other agencies, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.

Working Together highlights that everyone who works with children has a responsibility for keeping them safe and that multi-agency working and information sharing is essential to ensure that children and families receive the right help at the right time. Working Together makes clear that in all welfare and safeguarding enquiries, a child-centred approach should be adopted by practitioners to ensure that the best interests of the child are considered at all times.

Working Together also sets out further information about the equal and shared duty on the three safeguarding partners (the local authority, health and police) to make arrangements to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in a local area.

Working Together provides further information about the referral process for reporting concerns about the safety or welfare of a child and the steps that practitioners should take when working together to assess and provide services for children who may be in need, including those suffering harm. Working Together makes clear that all local areas should have a local protocol in place that sets out how a case will be managed once a child is referred to children's social care.

If you believe a person is at immediate risk of harm:

Contact the police. Call 999 now.

If a person is not at immediate risk of harm:

Follow your local safeguarding guidance and ensure this information is shared with local authority social services and the police. Police involvement should not be limited to instances of immediate risk of harm.

The first step is usually to contact your designated safeguarding lead within your organisation who should complete a safeguarding referral to the local authority responsible for a child or vulnerable adult. If you do not know who this is, refer to your manager. Your designated safeguarding lead has the responsibility for linking in with your local authority's social services, but you should follow up to ensure action is taken. You should not assume a colleague, or another professional will take action that might be critical in keeping a vulnerable person safe.

Your local authority's social services will then consider with safeguarding partner agencies whether any further actions are necessary to protect the vulnerable person.

If you are not satisfied with the local authority's response, you should follow up on your concerns by discussing these with your safeguarding lead or escalating them via the local escalation procedure.

Further information on safeguarding can be found in the further resources section of this guidance.

Modern slavery and human trafficking

Criminal exploitation is a form of modern slavery and as such, if you are a designated First Responder for the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), you must also refer any child you suspect of being a potential victim of modern slavery to the NRM using the online referral form. In cases involving adults you must refer them where they provide informed consent for you to do so. Where an adult does not consent, statutory First Responders still have a 'Duty to Notify' the Home Office that they have encountered a potential victim. In all cases, First Responders should consider whether it is appropriate to also refer the potential adult victim to local authority adult safeguarding services. The NRM is a framework for identifying potential victims of modern slavery and ensuring they receive the appropriate support. Any referral should be after appropriate safeguarding steps have been taken and in light of any required multi-agency discussions. If you are not a designated First Responder for the NRM you should work with a designated First Responder who may make such a referral where deemed appropriate.

Following referral, a Competent Authority decision maker will consider the case and make a Reasonable Grounds decision. The Reasonable Grounds threshold is an objective one. The decision maker must agree with the statement that there are "reasonable grounds to believe that a person is a victim of modern slavery (human trafficking or slavery, servitude, or forced or compulsory labour)". A decision maker should take into account all of the information available, including the victim's account and any other relevant information that supports or undermines it, but should also consider whether, in the circumstances of the case, it is reasonable to expect supporting evidence or corroborating information to be available. Therefore, when a referral is made the first responder should consider what supporting evidence or corroborating information can be provided with it to support a decision.

Organisations in Wales should follow the Wales Modern Slavery Safeguarding Pathway.

Victims of modern slavery are also provided a statutory defence for certain criminal offences under Section 45 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Further information on the NRM, including referral and decision-making processes for adults and children, available support and the Section 45 defence can be found in the further resources section of this guidance.

In custody

If an individual in custody is suspected to have experienced exploitation, police officers must use their local safeguarding arrangements to respond to safety and welfare concerns. Being arrested can be a key reachable moment and so a joined-up multi-agency approach should be used to prevent further exploitation.

Additional information on responsibilities towards children in custody can be found in the further resources section of this guidance.

Coerced internal concealment

A victim who has been coerced into internally concealing drugs may have suffered serious physical harm as a result of the insertion or forced removal of items and so may require immediate medical treatment. In addition, they may require ongoing support to address their emotional and psychological needs.

Additional information on responsibilities where there is suspected coerced internal concealment, including on intimate searches, can be found in the further resources section of this guidance.

Debt bondage and financial exploitation

Responding to debt bondage and financial exploitation is complex. The confiscation of money or drugs from victims can unintentionally create a debt that they will be forced to pay off and supporting attempts to make payments are unlikely to result in debts being written off. It is therefore important that professionals provide support and open dialogue to discuss risks with victims, including to their families, and consider safety plans and disruption interventions to break the cycle of exploitation.

Additional guidance can be found in the further resources section of this document.

Disruption

Targeting and disrupting the perpetrators of county lines exploitation is an integral part of protecting victims. Likewise, reporting safeguarding concerns can support disruption activity and investigations.

There is a range of drugs, modern slavery, weapons, violence and sexual offences that can be charged against county lines perpetrators on a case-by-case basis.

There is also a range of civil orders which can be applied for to disrupt perpetrators, including but not limited to: Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders and Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders; Anti-Social Behaviour Civil Injunctions; and Drug Dealing Telecommunication Restriction Orders. Non-statutory tools are also available such as Child Abduction Warning Notices (CAWNS).

Cuckooing

In cases of cuckooing, the police, local authorities and housing associations can take action to evict the offenders and support the victim to regain control of their property through the application of civil orders such as Closure Orders and Community Protection Notices which can be used to close down premises that are being used for criminal activities. You should consider how the use of any order will impact on the victim's safety.

Additional information on disruption tools and tactics can be found in the further resources section of this guidance.

Case study (North Wales Police)

Ways of working

Putting the victim first

When working with an individual suspected of being exploited by county lines, their activity may appear consensual, they may not recognise that they are being exploited and the distinction between victim and perpetrator may appear unclear. This may be the case especially for those transitioning into adulthood.

However, individuals who have been groomed and exploited into criminal activity have not freely chosen to be involved, cannot consent to being exploited and so should be seen as victims first and foremost.

It is also important to recognise that they are likely to have had traumatic experiences which they may have begun to normalise. You should consider responses from a trauma- informed perspective and take an approach that puts the child, young person or vulnerable adult first, including involving them in the safeguarding process and discussing next steps with them to build their trust.

Case study (Catch22)

Understanding the risks

When working with a suspected victim of county lines, have professional curiosity, keep a log of activity and save any evidence related to the exploitation, including items like train tickets and receipts from out of the area, as well as messages, images or videos online. Use reachable moments to connect with the vulnerable person and actively seek inputs from different professional perspectives to build a picture of the whole story.

Partnerships and multi-agency working

Effective collaboration and information sharing between agencies is essential to protecting victims and disrupting offenders. It is therefore important to provide as much information as possible as part of the safeguarding referral process. This will allow any assessment to consider all the available evidence to address harm.

If you are aware that a potential victim may have come from / travelled to another area as part of their involvement in county lines, you should include this information to enable liaison between safeguarding agencies in the different areas. However, remember that this cross-county travel is not necessary - where you have concerns about criminal exploitation for the supply of drugs locally, victims will need safeguarding in the same way. Likewise, the absence of a phone line for supply of the drugs should not prevent you from making a safeguarding referral as county lines activity can be conducted online. The type of technology used should not determine whether action is taken to safeguard victims.

Proactive sharing of other contextual information, such as assessments that have been undertaken, referrals for support or other measures that are in place for a vulnerable person will help partners act more effectively.

You should understand the multi-agency safeguarding arrangements and groups you can report information into locally which can enable this collaboration, including but not limited to: child protection strategy meetings, Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs, Multi-Agency Child Exploitation panels (or equivalent), Community Safety Partnerships, Combating Drugs Partnerships, Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements.

In addition, be aware of Violence Reduction Units and other commissioned services available locally and nationally provided by other sectors which can deliver specialist support interventions to vulnerable people of concern.

Parents and families should also be considered safeguarding partners. Listen to their concerns seriously and discuss solutions with them as they could help practitioners recognise what will work best for their child.

Other useful resources

County lines and Child Criminal Exploitation

National County Lines Coordination Centre, County Lines Awareness Video - a 10 minute video created in partnership with Sketchups, discussing the county lines methodology and how this is impacting children, young people and vulnerable adults, partners, law enforcement and society.

The Children's Society, #LookCLoser exploitation awareness campaign - funded by the Home Office and run in partnership with the National County Lines Coordination Centre and British Transport Police, which asks everyone to play a role in spotting the signs of county lines and other forms of child exploitation and taking action to ensure these children get help.

The Children's Society, County lines and criminal exploitation toolkit - toolkit for supporting young people who are at risk of or being trafficked for the purpose of criminal exploitation.

Sexual abuse and exploitation

Debt bondage and financial exploitation

Coerced internal concealment

Safeguarding

Modern slavery and human trafficking

Disruption

Home Office, Child exploitation disruption toolkit - disruption tactics for those working to safeguard children and young people under the age of 18 from sexual and criminal exploitation.

Ways of working

Language

Police and CPS

Crown Prosecution Service, CPS county lines offending guidance - sets out the approach of the police and the CPS to county lines offending, including the safeguarding of vulnerable persons, and the investigation and prosecution of criminal offences.

Home Office, Concordat on children in custody - statutory guidance for police forces and local authorities in England on their responsibilities towards children in custody.

College of Policing, Risk and associated investigations - authorised professional practice for policing on county lines and child criminal exploitation.

College of Policing, Children and young persons - authorised professionals practice for policing on children and young people.

College of Policing, Adults at risk - authorised professional practice for policing on adults at risk.

Education

Department for Education, Keeping children safe in education - statutory guidance for schools and colleges in England on the legal duties that must be followed to safeguard children.

Health

Prisons, probation and youth justice

Local government

Wales

Support for victims

Professionals can refer victims and families to the following Home Office-funded specialist support services:

Catch22 County Lines Support and Rescue - a specialist support and rescue service in London, West Midlands, Merseyside and Greater Manchester for young people up to the age of 25 and their families who are criminally exploited through county lines.

Missing People's SafeCall - a confidential and anonymous helpline and support service for young people and family members in England and Wales that are affected by county lines and criminal exploitation. The service also provides confidential support and advice for professionals in relation to their work with an exploited young person or family. Call or text 116000 for free, 9am to 11pm, 7 days a week.

Barnardo's - runs the specialist Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship Service (ICTGS) in 17 sites in England and Wales, providing an independent source of advice and advocacy for children who have been trafficked and somebody who can speak up on their behalf. ICTGs are provided in addition to the statutory support provided by local authorities to all children in their area.

Other organisations that offer further information, advice or direct support in some areas of the county include (this is not an exhaustive list):

Report a concern

Police - call 999 in an emergency, call 101 for non-emergency enquiries.

British Transport Police - text 61016 or use the Railway Guardian app.

Action Fraud - call 0300 123 2040 or visit the website.

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Criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults: county lines

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Criminal exploitation of children, young people and vulnerable adults for the supply of drugs, and transportation of the associated money and weapons, has a devastating impact on victims, families and local communities but is often not recognised by those who are best placed to spot it.

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We give hope and help to thousands of children and families each year and work in communities throughout England and Wales to help keep children safe. Our vision is for all children to grow up in supportive communities safe from bullying and harm.​ Our mission is to provide practical support, training, and advice to challenge bullying and protect young lives.

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Welcome to Touchstones Child Bereavement Support.
Touchstones is a small, local charity with one very simple aim - to be there for any bereaved child and young person in North East Worcestershire - including Redditch, Bromsgrove, Wythall, Rubery, Hagley
Please contact us if you need our support - we are always here to help. Also, please donate

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How to access bereavement support and services at Primrose Hospice and Coppice Centre available to families following the death of a loved one

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Bereavement usually means losing someone we love through death and also follows on from change and loss. It is a devastating event, turning our world upside down and changing our lives forever. The death of a loved one is probably the worst loss we will ever experience. Grief is the reaction of over-riding intense pain and emotion that follows on from the death of someone who has been close to us. There is no single way to grieve. Everyone is different and each person grieves in his or her own way, and there is no telling how long it will take.

Grief can express itself in many different ways, often with very powerful, frightening and confusing feelings. Because each person within the family grieves in their own particular way and at their own pace, it is important to take one another into consideration. Talk to each other about thoughts and feelings. Although no two people's experiences will ever be the same, there are some common feelings which you may experience at different times in your grief. As well as a deep sadness, you may feel anger, fear, guilt, anxiety, loneliness, despair, preoocupation with the loved one that has died, denial, restless over-activity or apathy. All these feelings are natural reactions, but the intensity may leave you feeling that you are not managing everyday life in the way you would like to. Most bereaved people suffer from depression at some stage in their grief.

The main thing to remember is that this is not a permanent state. It will pass when its purpose has been achieved. Although some people may need professional help if it deepens and persists.

Accept that it isn't unusual not to feel your 'normal' self. Be gentle with yourself for grief is an exhausting thing.

Let yourself experience the feelings you have about what has happened and talk to others about it - over and over again if you need to.

Write down all the feelings that are going around in your head, especially before going to bed as this may help you sleep better.

You may need to find out more about what happened if all the facts are not clear about how your loved one died. Sometimes you will never know.

Some return to routine can help as long as you try to balance this with time to reflect on what has happened to you. Try sticking to a regular routine of eating, sleeping, exercise and relaxation.

Look after yourself. Your self-esteem may have taken a real knock. Acknowledge yourself each time you achieve something, even if it is getting up in the morning or staying in bed to give yourself a rest. We can be very good at noticing all our mistakes and ignoring our good points, especially when we are feeling down.

Remembering happy times with the person who has died can be painful but nontheless healing. Looking at photographs, making a memory book and keeping meaningful mementoes may help.

Take things slowly. You might want to delay making big changes such as moving house, starting a new relationship or changing job. You have already suffered a huge loss and need to adjust to that first.

Usually it helps to seek support from several sources. No one can grieve for you. You have to find your own path through your grief, but you do not have to walk the road alone. What follows below are links on:

Coping with bereavement and grief

Samaritans

Cruse Bereavement Care

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy

Coping when a child or baby dies

Compassionate Friends

Child Death Helpline

SANDS - Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (UK)

Babyloss

Coping with loss in pregnancy

Miscarriage Association

Supporting bereaved children and young people

Childhood Bereavement Network

Child Bereavement Trust

ChildLine

Winston's Wish rd4u - Road for you (Cruse Bereavement Care's Youth Involvement Programme)

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Bereavement usually means losing someone we love through death and also follows on from change and loss. It is a devastating event, turning our world upside down and changing our lives forever. The death of a loved one is probably the worst loss we will ever experience.

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We're here to help you no matter how long you've been grieving. Learn more about our different bereavement support services here.

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We help children, young people, parents, and families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies.

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Home - Bereavement Support South Worcestershire

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Call our Freephone Helpline on 08088 020 021 for advice, information and help for grieving children, young people and adults supporting them.

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National charity helping people with Anxiety - Anxiety UK

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Become a Member of Anxiety UK. We pride ourselves on being user led, with many on our staff and volunteer team having personal experience of anxiety.

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We improve the lives of people severely affected by mental illness through our network of local groups and services, expert information and successful campaigning. Our goal is to make sure everyone severely affected by mental illness has a good quality of life.

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About mental illness

1 in 4 people will experience a mental illness in their lifetime. People can, and often do, recover with the right treatment and support. Our advice and information pages can help you learn more about conditions, symptoms and diagnoses, so you or a loved one can get the help you need.

Living with mental illness

Living with a mental illness should not be a barrier to a good quality of life. Our advice and information pages contain all you need to know about getting the proper treatment and support for you or a loved one and what you can do if you feel the help you are getting is not right.

Rights and restrictions

If you experience mental illness or care for someone who does, it is essential to know your rights. Our information pages has advice on mental health laws, rights and restrictions, social care, welfare, and resources about the police, courts & prison service.

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No matter how bad things are, we can help.

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1 in 4 people will be affected by a mental health problem in their lifetime - we are here to support them when they do.

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If you’re struggling and you’re not sure if you want to live or die, can you, just for now hold off making this decision and keep reading and watching the videos for some ideas about how to get through.

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Working with online safety experts, we're here to provide parents & carers with guidance, advice and support to keep children safe online | Internet Matters

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Family Information Service | Parents Against Child Sexual Exploitation PACE

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Pace works alongside parents and carers of children who are – or are at risk of being – sexually exploited by perpetrators external to the family. Pace also offers guidance and training to professionals on how child sexual exploitation affects the whole family. Pace is the leading national charity working with parents and carers whose children are sexually exploited. Pace offers: one-to-one telephone support; national and local meet-ups with other affected parents; and information on how parents can work in partnership with police and social care. Pace welcomes referrals from professionals as well as self-referrals from parents. Visit the website for more information.

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The National Crime Agency's CEOP Education team aim to help protect children and young people from online child sexual abuse.

We do this through our education programme, providing training, resources and information to professionals working with children, young people and their families.

I am:

Respecting me, you, us: building healthy relationships and creating positive cultures is a CEOP Education resource for 12 -14 year olds developed in association with clinical psychologist, Dr. Elly Hanson.

Under 18 and worried about online sexual abuse?
To report, click to visit the CEOP Safety Centre.

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The CEOP Education programme from the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Education Team aims to protect children and young people aged 4-18 from online child sexual abuse.