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Vaping - resources for schoolsFurther SupportSources of supportCGL Eclypse support young people and theirfamilies in Manchester with all mattersrelating to drugs and alcohol. This includesyoung people concerned about their own,or a family member's, substance use.0161 839 2054 / eclypsemanchester@cgl.org.ukContact Childline: www.childline.org.uk /0800 1111Further information is available via FRANK: www.talktofrank.com/get-help  

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Vaping - resources for schoolsFurther SupportSources of supportCGL Eclypse support young people and theirfamilies in Manchester with all mattersrelating to drugs and alcohol. This includesyoung people concerned about their own,or a family member's, substance use.0161 839 2054 / eclypsemanchester@cgl.org.ukContact Childline: www.childline.org.uk /0800 1111Further information is available via FRANK: www.talktofrank.com/get-help  

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Children who are exploited often carry cash obtained from their exploitation and will visit bank branches to pay it into their abuser's account. They may also be made to launder money or transfer criminal proceeds through their own bank account.
Is a child or young person visiting your branch:

Anxious, frightened, angry, showing signs of neglect or displaying other behaviours that make you worried about them?

Behaving aggressively with you or other bank staff?

Visiting a branch far from the account holder's address?

Paying in a large quantity of cash?

Being instructed or controlled by another individual? Or is someone keeping an eye on them from a distance?

Receiving frequent messages and calls? Do they appear anxious when answering?

Is there concerning activity related to a child or young person's account?

Are they paying in small amounts frequently?

Is there more activity than you would expect to see on a young person's account?

Are there cash deposits or transfers from unknown sources?

Are there a lot of transport or accommodation transactions on the account?

If something doesn't feel right, learn how to report it.

As a delivery driver, you are working within communities and neighbourhoods, travelling through multiple public spaces during shifts. There may be opportunities for you to identify young people being exploited or abused within these spaces.
Whilst delivering in the community, look closer for children or young people who are:

Looking lost or in unfamiliar surroundings

Regularly in a public space during school hours or late at night

On their own or meeting different adults who don't appear to be parents

Being instructed or controlled by another individual

Accompanied by individuals who are older than them.

Exploitation and abuse can also be visible inside houses. The majority of sexual abuse happens inside the family home and vulnerable adults' properties can be taken over by criminals and used as a base. If you are delivering parcels, takeaways or other items to a house, you may be one of the only professionals in a position to spot and report concerns.
Things to look closer for in houses:

Unaccompanied children visiting a house where only adults live

Young people who are anxious, frightened, angry, showing signs of neglect or displaying other behaviours that make you worried

Children with bruises, burns, bite marks or fractures

Appearing guarded around particular individuals

Shouting or violence towards a young person

Increased callers at a property

Increase in cars pulling up for short periods of a time

Increased antisocial behaviour at a property

Not seeing the resident for long periods of time

Unfamiliar vehicles at the property.

If something doesn't feel right, learn how to report it.

Hotels, caravan parks, and rented accommodation are sadly being used to exploit and abuse children. This includes sexual abuse, criminal exploitation and Modern Slavery.
As reception or booking staff you can look closer for the following indicators that something might not be right:

Last minute or walk-in bookings, particularly late at night

Guests only using a room for a few hours, with no notification of leaving

Guests refusing to provide identification, leave credit card details and/or with little or no luggage

Guests with a local address booking a room

Guests in possession of large quantities of cash

Guests requesting a room that is isolated, or near the rear exit to the premises

A frequent guest of the hotel seen with a range of different young people

Bookings made in a different name to the person checking in

Guests arriving and asking for a specific room number, but not knowing the name in which the room is booked

Visitors to the accommodation without a room booking

Guests who do not want rooms cleaned and/or use the 'do not disturb' sign for long periods of time

Repeat visitors to the accommodation at irregular hours

Children or young people checking in with an adult or group of adults who do not appear to be their parents or guardians

Young people meeting others in public areas or car parks on your premises

As housekeeping staff, look closer for the following:

Evidence of alcohol, drugs or substance misuse and/or contraception wrappers in guest rooms young people have been seen in

Signs of sexual or criminal activity having taken place in a room where young people have stayed or visited

As bar staff, look closer for the following:

Room service alcohol orders to rooms where there are guests who appear to be underage

Young people in the company of older young adult or older adult guests in the bar area

Adult customers purchasing alcohol for young people

Young people who appear anxious, frightened, angry or aggressive, showing signs of neglect, or displaying behaviours that cause you concern

Young people who appear to be instructed or controlled by another individual.

If something doesn't feel right, learn how to report it.

If you're a train or bus driver, ticket inspector, tram or airport worker or staff at an E-Scooter company, you can help make our transport network a safe space for young people.
Is a child or young person using your transport:

Anxious, frightened, angry, aggressive, or displaying other behaviours that make you worried about them?

Unfamiliar with their surroundings or appearing unsure about where they are travelling to?

Not in possession of a relevant ticket or fare to travel as fare evasion may be an indicator of exploitation?

In communication with or accompanied by older peers or adults who appear to be overseeing or controlling where they are travelling to?

Spending a long time in a transport hub and appearing unsure about leaving?

Making frequent trips or spending long period of time in the toilet during their journey?

Appearing to actively avoid being seen by transport staff or police in the area?

Travelling at unusual hours (such as during school hours, early in the morning, or late at night?) and/or to multiple destinations in one day or night?

Paying by cash for an expensive journey?

Showing signs of neglect and/or indicating they have been staying somewhere unsanitary or unsafe?

Using language that you suspect relates to criminal activity?

Receiving frequent calls and messages that they appear anxious to respond to promptly?

If something doesn't feel right, learn how to report it.

Young people may be exploited to shoplift or to beg on busy high streets, outside supermarkets or in shopping centres. They may be accompanied or overseen by their exploiter even if you can't see them.

Exploiters may also accompany a victim into your store in order to buy them items such as clothes, trainers, phones and other tech as part of what we call 'grooming'. Through purchasing these items the exploiter can build a connection and seem like someone to trust when they are in fact using it to cynically reel them in, in order to exploit and abuse them later.
Is a child or young person in or nearby your store:

Anxious, frightened, angry or aggressive, showing signs of neglect, or displaying behaviours that cause you concern?

Shoplifting, begging, or pickpocketing?

Do they appear to be instructed or controlled by another individual?

Paying using accounts or bank cards that don't belong to them?

Buying expensive items with quantities of cash you wouldn't expect a young person to have? Or having them bought for them by someone who doesn't appear to be their parent or guardian?

Are there young people who are:

Accompanied by groups of older individuals?

Returning to your store with different adults each time?

In retail spaces at times you wouldn't expect? For example, during school hours or late at night?

If something doesn't feel right, learn how to report it.

Taxis, ride shares and private hire vehicles are sometimes used to transport young people for the purpose of abuse and exploitation.

As a driver you may overhear concerning conversations a young person is having on the phone. The act of abuse or exploitation may not be visible but the control, coercion, grooming and its impact on a young person may be.

Whilst sharing a vehicle with a young person, you may be the only one to hear and observe signs of exploitation and abuse.
As a driver, look closer for a child or young person:

Travelling alone? Unfamiliar with the local area?

Travelling at unusual hours (during school time, early in the morning, or late at night?

Travelling to multiple destinations in one day or night?

Travelling long distances and paying for a journey that is expensive and would seem unrealistic for a young person to afford by themselves?

Paying for journeys in cash or prepaid? Carrying lots of cash?

Anxious, frightened, angry, showing signs of neglect or displaying other behaviour that makes you worried?

Using words describing criminal or sexual activity?

As a member of staff working in a hire car branch, look closer for a child or young person:

Being instructed or controlled by another individual

Appearing guarded around particular individuals

Anxious, frightened, angry, showing signs of neglect, or displaying other behaviours that make you worried

Accompanied by another individual with suspicious booking information.

Look out for fraudulent documents, payments in cash, regular bookings to different areas of the country or differences between names and addresses of those making the booking and those hiring the car.
If something doesn't feel right, learn how to report it.

Keeping children safe online

Understanding online safety and the risks of being online, including grooming and bullying, is vital to keeping children safe online.

Preventing child sexual exploitation

We work to prevent child sexual exploitation. We support young people who have been, or are at risk of being sexually abused or exploited.

County lines and child criminal exploitation

We work to stop child exploitation and end county lines. We help victims of exploitation regain trust and build better futures.

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Look closer to spot and report signs of exploitation

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LookCloser is a national campaign encouraging everyone to learn the signs of child exploitation, look closer in communities and know how to report exploitation if worried.

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Everyone else

Look around

Criminal exploitation is illegal.

When someone is persuaded, coerced or forced into criminal activity in exchange for gifts, money, drugs, alcohol, reward, or status, they are being exploited.

Abusers manipulate their victims into taking part in criminal activity in different ways - grooming their victims with attention or gifts, or by using coercive, controlling behaviour, and sometimes force. The exploitation process can be incredibly subtle. Many young people who are being exploited care about the person exploiting them and do not realise they are victims. They may also be threatened with violence to themselves or their family. Adults can also feel this way, or feel they have no choice but to commit criminal acts.

As you travel around Greater Manchester, look around you. If you are worried that someone is being criminally exploited, ask them if they are ok (if it is safe to do so), or report your worries to a professional such as the British Transport Police, a teacher, a police officer, a conductor etc or call 101, or 999 in an emergency. You can also report your concerns to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Look out for interactions and situations which do not feel, or seem right to you. Our 'gut' feeling is usually a good way of us knowing something is not OK. If you see someone being forceful or threatening to a young person, seek help from a professional or intervene if it is safe to do so. Be curious to what is happening around you. Asking someone if they are OK can be the first step in helping them to seek help.

Keep your ears and eyes open. Is there a young person travelling during the day, when they should be in school? Are they on their own, or with a group of older people?

If you work or travel through a place where lots of children meet up is there any evidence of young people being offered drugs or alcohol? Is anyone being singled out and being 'dared' or made to do things they do not look comfortable with, this could be by their peers? Have you overheard young people talking about travelling long distance on their own, going 'country', or talking about 'trap houses'? Is there anyone actively approaching young people in a way which does not feel right?

If you see a young person who is not in school during regular school hours, ask them if they are ok.

If you see someone collecting a young person in a taxi or car during school and it does not feel right, try to take down the registration number and report it.

If you see a young person, or young people, frequently entering houses on your street that you know they don't live at, report it.

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Programme Challenger - Criminal Exploitation (Trapped)

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Criminal exploitation is illegal. When someone is persuaded, coerced or forced into criminal activity in exchange for gifts, money, drugs, alcohol, reward, or status, they are being exploited. Abusers manipulate their victims into taking part in criminal activity in different ways - grooming their victims with attention or gifts, or by using coercive, controlling behaviour, and sometimes force.

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https://padlet.com/healthyschools/child-exploitation-a7v54e48agcfc6i/wish/2523231616

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The Independent domestic violence advisory (IDVA) service is a small team of Independent domestic violence advisors/advocates (IDVA's) that support victims/survivors and their family, who are experiencing domestic violence and abuse (DVA) and have been assessed as high risk of serious harm and homicide. Our aim is to make them feel safer.
How do we do this?
Safety planning - With each victim/survivor who agrees to support, we will look at the harm towards them and look at a plan to reduce the harm.

Information on Civil options available - part of the plan may look at orders from the civil court to prevent the abuser from contacting the victim/survivor and/or children. The IDVA will support through this process. * IDVA's are not qualified legally advisors, therefore cannot give legal advice, however, they are experienced with supporting through the process. There may be a charge for civil orders.

Information on Criminal options available - if the victim/survivor has reported the crime to the police or need help to do so, the IDVA will support through this process. They will also support the victim/survivor in court.

Sanctuary advice/assessment - This is a scheme to make anyone experiencing DVA, to feel safe in their home by providing addition security - lock change, window locks, chain on the door and more. This is available to all residents of Manchester who are experiencing DVA regardless of the level of risk.

Housing options advice - The IDVA will also discuss housing options if the victim/survivor no longer feel safe in their own home.

Home Fire Risk Assessment - The IDVA can make a referral to the fire service, who will go through safety planning if there is a fire and/offer new smoke alarms and letterbox cover to the front door.

Further support - The IDVA service can refer to other agencies should the victim/survivor need long term support and education around DVA or emotional support.
Who do we support?
The IDVA service supports all residents of Manchester over the age of 16 years, regardless of ethnic origin, religion, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, disability, and relationship status.
Note: The IDVA service DUE TO THE PLEASE EMAIL IF YOU SOMEONE IS HURTING YOU OR SOMEONE KNOW NOW PLEASE CALL 999 FOR EMERGENCIES IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO TALK PRESS 'OR TEXT THE WORD OR 101 IF NOT URGENT 'register' TO 999. WHEN THE AUTO MESSAGE COME BACK TEXT 'Yes' 55' COVID 19 CRISIS WE ARE NO LONGER TAKING CALLS TO THE OFFICE AS THERE IS NO ONE WORKING FROM THERE complete group work or education to DVA victims/survivors, but we can refer to the most appropriate service(s).
If you think we can help you contact us by email advisory.service@manchester.gov.uk

For professionals: A Risk indicator checklist must be completed and referred to MARAC, referrals must be uploaded to SharePoint before the team will pick this up.

Age Ranges

No specific age

Referral required

Referral Details

​If you live in Manchester are aged 16 or over and are currently experiencing domestic violence and abuse. You can refer yourself by contacting the office, if you have told a professional they may have already referred you to our service.

All of the referrals will be heard at a multi ​-​agency meeting (MARAC - multi ​-​agency risk assessment conference). All of the agencies will see the referral, based on the information they hear at the meeting, they will look at a plan to keep the victim/survivor and family safe.

Other notes

The definition of domestic abuse:

is the abuse of someone within an intimate or family relationship. It is the repeated, random and habitual use of intimidation to control another person - usually a partner, ex-partner or other family member. Family members are defined as mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister, and grandparents, whether directly related, in laws or step family.

Abuse can be physical, emotional, psychological, financial, sexual, or a combination of these. Anyone forced to alter their behaviour because they're frightened of someone's reaction is being abused.
Here are some useful links to help keep you safe: http://www.endthefear.co.uk/https://hollieguard.com/https://www.hestia.org/brightsky https://chat.womensaid.org.uk/

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The IDVA Service - Domestic Violence and Abuse, how we can help!

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What is IDVA? The Independent domestic violence advisory (IDVA) service is a small team of Independent domestic violence advisors/advocates (IDVA's) that support victims/survivors and their family, who are experiencing domestic violence and abuse (DVA) and have been assessed as high risk of serious harm and homicide. Our aim is to make them feel safer.

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YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People

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YoungMinds are a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents, making sure all young people can get the mental health support they need.

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If you're worried about a child or need advice and support for coping with anything affecting your child's mental health or wellbeing, there are different ways to seek help.

Online sources of support

Lots of general advice and support can be found online.

For more general advice, see our information on mental health and wellbeing, which includes advice about:

YoungMinds

YoungMinds offers free confidential online and telephone support to anyone worried about the emotional and mental wellbeing of a child or young person up to the age of 25.

call the free parents' helpine on 0808 802 5544 from 9.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday

email parents@youngminds.org.uk and YoungMinds will respond to your query within 3 working days

The charity also has information for parents and carers about mental health.

MindEd for families

MindEd for families is a branch of MindEd, intended to support parents and those caring for children and young people.

MindEd is an online e-portal offering free, simple advice about children and young people's mental health for all adults.

Although MindEd is aimed at professionals, parents and carers may also find the information helpful.

Royal College of Psychiatrists

You can also find out more by exploring the Royal College of Psychiatrists' leaflets for parents and young people.

These include mental health information tailored for young people, parents, teachers and carers.

When to seek professional help

There's a difference between feeling a bit low from time to time and a serious emotional health problem.

If your child is feeling unhappy and low for a prolonged period of time, or if you have any other serious concerns about your child or young person, it's time to seek more professional help.

Any professional working with children and young people should know what to do. You may find it helpful to speak to:

your GP

someone you trust at school or college - for example, a teacher, pastoral lead, school nurse or special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO)

health visitors

children's centres

For example, if you approach a teacher about your concerns or to see if they've noticed anything, they might speak to different staff working in the school. For example, a school counsellor, a support worker or, in many areas, a mental health support team for schools and colleges.

If the problem is more complex, the professional you initially approached may suggest getting help from colleagues with more specialist training.

A GP might refer a parent of a child with behaviour problems to a local parenting programme, or a young person who's depressed might be referred to specialist children and young people's mental health services (CYPMHS).

You should contact your local support services immediately if you're aware of a child or young person at serious risk of harm.

How do I get help from specialist CYPMHS?

Getting help from a specialist CYPMHS is different depending on where you live. Waiting times can vary too.

Most CYPMHS have their own website, which will have information about access, referrals and more, including phone numbers, so you can get in touch directly for detailed advice.

You can also look at your local integrated care board (ICB) website and search for children and young people's mental health.

If you or your child is being supported by social services or the youth offending team, your key worker will be able to refer your child for an appointment with someone in specialist CYPMHS.

There are many services to go to for help without having to ask for a referral, including crisis helplines that anyone can call.

Read about where to get urgent help for mental health.

Read about voluntary community-based youth information services - which often have drop-in sessions for advice and professional help.

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Children and young people's mental health services (CYPMHS) information for parents and carers

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If you're worried about a child or need advice and support for coping with anything affecting your child's mental health or wellbeing, there are different ways to seek help. Lots of general advice and support can be found online.

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Are you being bullied?

If you are being bullied, or you are not ready to make a report to CEOP, you can talk to Childline anonymously online or on the phone - No worry is too big or too small.

Visit Childline

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Are you being bullied? If you are being bullied, or you are not ready to make a report to CEOP, you can talk to Childline anonymously online or on the phone - No worry is too big or too small. Visit Childline

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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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The Expect Respect Healthy Relationships Toolkit

Expect Respect is a prevention toolkit that will help you to lead sessions around healthy relationships for children and young people aged 4-18. It contains age-appropriate activities that can be used in a range of spaces, but it can also be used with adults. It will help you to hold conversations about the root causes of violence, and educate young people on gender-based violence.

Each session in the toolkit is designed to be active, fun and engaging, but also challenging. Whilst not all of the session plans raise domestic abuse directly, they have been written using themes found to be effective in tackling domestic abuse, such as:

Challenging assumptions about gender, power and equality.

Changing beliefs and attitudes about men and women.

Managing feelings and accepting responsibility for one's own feeling and behaviours.

Helping to resolve conflict.

Knowing the difference between abusive and non-abusive relationships.

Understanding our digital footprints.

Promoting the consistent message that abuse is not acceptable.

Understanding that domestic abuse is a crime.

Highlighting the role of peers in providing support.

Understanding consent online and offline.

Being aware of red flags in early relationships.

Giving information about where to get help.

What are Expect Respect Advocates?
Expect Respect Advocates are at the frontline of delivering this groundbreaking project, and will be best placed to start conversations that will have a significant impact on children and young people's lives.

All our Advocates will receive initial training from Women's Aid to deliver the toolkit sessions to children and young people.

Advocates will be expected to share their progress with Women's Aid, to help reach the global goal of reaching 2 million children and young people by 2023.

What support do Advocates get?

Free toolkit to download (above)

Free training on how to use the toolkit

Access to a network of other professionals

Regular updates and supportive information

Support from the lead for children and young people at Women's Aid

We want to reach as many children and young people as possible and need your help to change cultures around inequality and violence.

By running sessions with children and young people you work with, you help us reach children and young people across the UK to raise awareness, challenge and change attitudes, as well as offer support to children and young people who need it.

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Expect Respect is a prevention toolkit that will help you to lead sessions around healthy relationships for children and young people aged 4-18. It contains age-appropriate activities that can be used in a range of spaces, but it can also be used with adults.

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Live Fear Free - The Effect of Domestic Abuse on Children

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Our aim is to ensure that schools have timely information about all police attended incidents of domestic abuse, no matter where in the world the child lives.

Our aim is to enable staff in every school to understand how to support children who are experiencing domestic abuse, no matter where in the world the child lives.

Our aim is to ensure all children experiencing domestic abuse receive timely support in their school, no matter where in the world the child lives.

Have you received an Operation Encompass call about a child in your school, or are you concerned about a child or children in your school who are experiencing domestic abuse?

For FREE advice from an Educational or Clinical Psychologist about how best to support them, call the Operation Encompass Professionals' National Advice and Guidance line on 0204 513 9990. Monday to Friday, 8am-1pm
More

Free Online Key Adult Operation Encompass Training

This training is CPD accredited and should be completed by all professionals receiving Operation Encompass notifications. All those working with children including school governors can also undertake this training.
More

To update Key Adult details in Devon and Cornwall please email us.

Have you received an Operation Encompass call about a child in your school, or are you concerned about a child or children in your school who are experiencing domestic abuse?

For FREE advice from an Educational or Clinical Psychologist about how best to support them, call the Operation Encompass Professionals' National Advice and Guidance line on 0204 513 9990.

Monday to Friday, 8am-1pm
More

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Our aim is to ensure that schools have timely information about all police attended incidents of domestic abuse, no matter where in the world the child lives. Our aim is to enable staff in every school to understand how to support children who are experiencing domestic abuse, no matter where in the world the child lives.

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What is patterning?

Partnerning is a form of humiliation online by other young people. It maybe where a young person posts something online where a young person is being humiliated and this is then shared by other young people online.

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It was only after Olly Stephens was murdered, in a field outside his home in Reading, that his mum and dad realised the violent and disturbing world their son had been exposed to through his phone. For BBC Panorama, reporter Marianna Spring investigates the role social media played in his death and exposes how a 13-year-old's social media accounts can be recommended violent videos and knives for sale.

Last January, Amanda and Stuart Stephens watched their son from separate windows as he left home, not realising it would be the last time. Olly wandered over to a field, Bugs Bottom, opposite their house - sliders on his feet, his phone in hand.

Fifteen minutes later, he had been murdered.

That phone he was holding would provide the answers to what had happened.

Olly was stabbed to death by two teenage boys in a field behind his house, after they recruited a girl online to lure him there. The entire attack had been planned on social media and triggered by a dispute in a social media chat group.

His parents were shocked to discover the murky world of violence and hate that their son and his friends had inhabited through their phones.

I decided to investigate the role social media played in what happened to Olly - and what 13-year-olds like him are being exposed to.

"They hunted him, tracked him and executed him through social media," Stuart tells me as we sit together on their sofa in their home in Reading.

"Social media is not guilty of the murder, but it did nothing to protect him, and without it he'd still be here."

Thames Valley Police say Olly's story stands out because of the huge role social media played in the case. And they fear that the evidence of bullying, and violent videos featuring knives found on the killers' phones, is just "the tip of a very large iceberg".

I set out to uncover what young teenagers are seeing on social media by creating a fake account as a 13-year-old on five social media sites popular with that age group.

Using an AI-generated photograph, we set up accounts for a 13-year-old boy, consulting one of Olly's friends and public accounts belonging to young teenagers in Reading. We wanted to see what a 13-year-old engaging with popular topics for his age - from sport and gaming to drill music and anti-knife crime content - would be exposed to and recommended.

We also wanted to test whether social media sites moderate videos and images of knives similar to those shared by the children convicted of murdering Olly.

After running our dummy account experiment for two weeks, with it liking and following content suggested across the social media sites, as well as his original interests - the results were striking:

On Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, our 13-year-old account was recommended content such as people showing off knives, knives for sale and posts glorifying violence

When we used our profile to actively look for anti-knife crime content, the 13-year-old's account was exposed to pro-knife groups, videos and pages on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube

No action was taken against a post showing off a knife on 13-year-old's account on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat. Tik Tok, however, did remove the content for violating its guidelines on dangerous acts, and the account was warned it was close to being suspended

'Secret world'

When Olly left the house that day he reassured Amanda he had his phone location switched on, so she'd know where he was. It was the Sunday after Christmas, and the family were preparing to go back to work and school the next day. Amanda expected Olly back before dark.

But shortly after he left home there was a knock on the door. It was a boy Olly knew. Amanda couldn't quite take in what he was saying.

"I thought, 'Did he just say Olly's been stabbed?'"

Stuart and Olly's older sister dashed out to the field opposite their home, where Olly was lying in a pool of blood. Amanda followed after them.

"I just held his hand and asked him not to leave me," Stuart says.

Friends, neighbours, dog walkers all tried to help, but it was too late. He died in that field.

"I still look for his feet in the morning at the end of the bed because they would hang over the end," Stuart says. Not seeing them there hits him every time.

Olly's bed is still made up with his favourite duvet cover. Amanda still buys him sweets, and when she vacuums Olly's room - something he used to hate - she still mutters, "I'll only be a minute."

Just before he was murdered, Olly had been diagnosed with autism and, at that time, he most enjoyed gaming and listening to music in his bedroom.

The night after his murder, looking through social media posts about Olly and screengrabs his friends shared with their daughter, Stuart and Amanda began to realise the role social media had played in what happened.

"It's this secret world where you can do and say exactly what you want," Amanda says. "It was a world that we had no idea existed [and] that he was being attacked by it."

Amanda, who would normally use the tracker on Olly's phone to make sure he made it home safely, now found herself using it to check his phone made it into the hands of the police. She followed the signal as it travelled with Olly's body to hospital and then again when it was taken to Thames Valley police station.

'Unprecedented' digital evidence

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Howard was tasked with investigating the world inside that phone. It's a case he describes as unprecedented because 90% of the evidence at Olly's murder trial came from mobile phones - and no child witnesses had to take the stand.

"We were really taken aback by the amount of digital evidence," he explains.

There was enough to convict two boys - aged 13 and 14 at the time - of murder last November. The 13-year-old girl who led him to the park was convicted of manslaughter.

What struck the police initially about the mountain of videos, photos and screengrabs they began to sift through was the persona that 13- and 14-year-olds linked to the case were presenting online, so at odds with the suburban reality they were living.

There were images shared on Instagram of people holding knives, with balaclavas on and hoods up.

The police also found videos of knives being flicked and shown off, and of boys linked to Olly's murder attacking one another, which DCI Howard told Panorama he believes were being shared "openly and very regularly" on Instagram and Snapchat.

"There is certainly a very unhealthy attraction to filming, recording, acts of really quite serious violence," DCI Andy Howard says.

It was a video posted on Snapchat showing an attack called "patterning" that was the catalyst in a chain of events that led to Olly losing his life.

Thames Valley Police explained that patterning is the humiliation of a young person which is filmed or photographed and then shared on social media. It's forwarded on and on, shared across different social media sites, multiplying the embarrassment for the victim.

In the weeks before he was killed, Olly had seen an image of a younger boy being humiliated and tried to alert the boy's older brother by forwarding it on to him.

When two boys who were in a Snapchat group with Olly became aware he had passed it on, they were furious.

DCI Howard says those boys thought Olly had been "snitching, grassing on them", and that led to the fallout.

Police also found hundreds of Snapchat voice notes from the two boys who fell out with Olly. In them, they discuss attacking Olly and try to recruit a girl to set him up.

The 13-year-old girl who agreed to do this knew Olly in real life, and had met the two boys involved online. Although they all lived locally, they met for the first time on the day of the murder.

The language those convicted used in the voice notes is shocking, with comments like, "You're going to die tomorrow Olly," and "I'll just give him bangs [hit him] or stab him." What's also chilling is their casual and cold tone.

In one voice note, the girl says, "[Male 2] wants me to set him up so then [Male 2] is gonna bang him and pattern him and shit. I'm so excited you don't understand."

None of these voice notes appear to have been picked up by Snapchat - and under the social media app's own policy, it's not possible to report a private message or voice note like this to the site, only the account sending it.

The evidence gathered by the police is just the information required to prosecute - but DCI Andy Howard fears they have only scratched the surface in this case. In his view, it's likely those involved were regularly exposed to violent content - and desensitised to it.

A recent study by the Huddersfield University's Applied Criminology and Policing Centre backs up that idea, finding that social media was a key factor in almost a quarter of crimes committed by under-18s. Most of these were acts of violence that started with confrontation online.

What teenagers see online

In our own investigation, within two weeks of following the kind of content 13-year-olds in Reading follow on their accounts, our imaginary teenager was recommended posts of people showing off knives, knives for sale and videos glorifying violence.

That happened on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube - while on TikTok and Snapchat, the accounts were not recommended this kind of content.

All of these social media sites say that they protect teenage users.

Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, says it restricts what under-18s can see of "content that attempts to buy or sell bladed weapons".

YouTube says it "may add an age restriction" to content that includes "harmful or dangerous acts that minors could imitate". Our account only encountered one video with an age restriction.

Some of the images and videos of knives were similar to those found on the phones of Olly's killers. We wanted to test what happens when a 13-year-old shares a post like that on social media.

Our fake accounts were private, so as not to expose anyone else to this image and video of a knife.

No action was taken against the post showing off a knife that was shared on the 13-year-old's account on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat.

Tik Tok, however, did remove the post for violating its guidelines on dangerous acts - and the account was warned that it was close to being suspended. That suggests it is possible to detect and remove this type of content shared by a profile under 18. We have now deactivated the accounts.

Our experiment revealed something else striking. Some adverts being promoted to the account on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram were based on his interests and, at times, age-appropriate. That seems to suggest that data from young teenage users can be used to target them - but then isn't being used to protect them from harmful content showing knives and violence.

I wanted to know if the posts pushed to the 13-year-old's account were typical of what teenagers would see so I met up with Olly's friends Poppy, Patrick, Izzy, Jacob and Ben at Olly's memorial bench, metres from where he was stabbed.

Ben had helped me set up the fake account. He and Olly's other friends told me they started using social media long before they turned 13, the age you have to be to sign up to most of the platforms. They all say there were no attempts to verify their ages. Olly's parents say he, too, joined them before he was 13.

I showed them several screen grabs from the accounts, without exposing them to too much of the content we've been recommended. But the children weren't shocked by the results at all - and admitted they all see knives and violence regularly on their social media feeds.

"I've seen bigger knives to be honest," Jacob says of his own social media accounts.

"We get exposed more to people kind of showing [them] off," Poppy explains, talking about the image people her age try to portray mainly on Instagram, as well as Snapchat.

Ben has seen Rambo knives, and Izzy butterfly blades, which she thinks people share because they are colourful and more appealing.

They all also describe being exposed to cyberbullying on a regular basis - including "patterning" - humiliation videos like the one that triggered the dispute between Olly and the boys who killed him.

All of the social media sites expressed their sympathies to Olly's family. Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, says that they "don't allow content that threatens, encourages or coordinates violence" and that they have "a well-established process to support police investigations" as they did in Olly's case. They "will urgently investigate the examples raised in this investigation".

YouTube says it has "strict existing policies in place to ensure that our platform is not used to incite violence".

TikTok says "There is no such thing as 'job done' when it comes to protecting our users, particularly young people" and it will "continue to build policies and tools" to help teens and their parents stay safe online.

Snapchat says they "strictly prohibit bullying, harassment and any illegal activity" and "provide confidential in-app reporting tools" on the site.

Hunting for answers

Amanda and Stuart want answers - and solutions - to protect other 13-year-olds on social media, and they want legislators to listen.

The online safety bill is currently passing through Parliament. "This bill is about keeping children and young people safe," Secretary of State Nadine Dorries tells me.

She wasn't shocked to see the results of our experiment. "These platforms know that knife content is being sent to young people's social media feeds," she says. "They can actually put what is wrong right now."

Stuart and Amanda fear that the bill in its current form wouldn't have saved Olly. They want to see more done to verify the age of young users and to limit their exposure to harmful posts - even if the content might be legal, like the violent videos and images of knives our dummy account was recommended.

Dorries says exactly what is considered harmful but legal will be specified soon.

But how exactly could the bill force social media sites to address this?

"I think it's probably easier to keep to the core principle of the bill," Dorries says. "The UK has to be the safest country in the world for children and young people to be online."

The Government is promising harsh penalties if companies don't comply.

"We will have the power to issue multi-billion pound fines and make sure that people within those organisations are criminally liable," says Dorries.

Meanwhile, Amanda says she feels social media companies are not facing up to the reality of what's happening.

"Forget your profits, kids are killing each other," Stuart says.

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It was only after Olly Stephens was murdered, in a field outside his home in Reading, that his mum and dad realised the violent and disturbing world their son had been exposed to through his phone.

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Knife crime awareness short film #MUST WATCH #SEANS STORY #STOPKNIFECRIME

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What is FORCED MARRIAGE? What does FORCED MARRIAGE mean? FORCED MARRIAGE meaning & explanation

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What is cyberbullying and how to defend against it?

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Zones of Regulation video for children. Learn about feelings and emotions.

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The Five Ways to Wellbeing - boosting mental wellbeing

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Responding to a Child's Disclosure of Abuse | NSPCC Learning

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Video 1 of 5: What is Safeguarding? Understanding safeguarding

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Definition

There is no clear definition of what peer on peer abuse entails. However it can be captured in a range of different definitions:

•        Domestic Abuse: relates to young people aged 16 and 17 who experience physical, emotional, sexual and / or financial abuse, and coercive control in their intimate relationships;

•        Child Sexual Exploitation: captures young people aged under-18 who are sexually abused in the context of exploitative relationships, contexts and situations by a person of any age - including another young person;

•        Harmful Sexual Behaviour: refers to any young person, under the age of 18, who demonstrates behaviour outside of their normative parameters of development (this includes, but is not exclusive to abusive behaviours);

•        Serious Youth Crime / Violence: reference to offences (as opposed to relationships / contexts) and captures all those of the most serious in nature including murder, rape and GBH between young people under-18.

Child on Child abuse can refer to any of the above individually or as a combination, therefore professionals working with CYP who are experiencing abuse from their peers must respond to the needs of each of the definitions to uncover the level of complexity and respond in the most effective manner. It is possible that a young person may be sexually exploited in a gang related situation by their boyfriend or girlfriend.

Key Areas Where Child on Child Abuse Occurs

Bullying (including Cyberbullying)

Bullying is defined as “behaviour by an individual or group, usually repeated over time, which intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally”. Bullying often starts with trivial events and  it is behaviour that hurts someone else - such as name calling, hitting, pushing, spreading hurtful and untruthful rumours, threatening or undermining someone; mocking; making offensive comments; taking belongings; inappropriate touching; producing offensive graffiti; or always leaving someone out of groups.  It can happen anywhere - at school, at home or online. It’s usually repeated over a long period of time and can hurt a child both physically and emotionally.

A child that is being bullied can feel like there’s no escape because it can happen wherever they are, at any time of day or night. There are many different forms of bullying:

•        ‘Cyberbullying’: involves sending inappropriate or hurtful text messages, emails or instant messages, posting malicious material online (e.g. on social networking websites) or sending or posting offensive or degrading images and videos;

•        Racist and Religious Bullying: A range of hurtful behaviour, both physical and psychological, that makes a person feel unwelcome, marginalised, excluded, powerless or worthless because of their colour, ethnicity, culture, faith community, national origin or national status;

•        Sexual, Sexist and Transphobic Bullying: includes any behaviour, whether physical or nonphysical, where sexuality is used as a weapon by boys or girls;

•        Homophobic Bullying: targets someone because of their sexual orientation (or perceived sexual orientation);

•        Disablist Bullying: targets a young person solely based on their disability, this can include manipulative bullying where a perpetrator forces the victim to act in a certain way, or exploiting a certain aspect of the victims disability.

It is important to remember that bullying can also be a combination of the above.

There has been much media attention surrounding children and young people who have committed suicide due to being bullied. Professionals must understand the damaging and at times fatal effects bullying can and does have on children and young people and be able to respond to it effectively.

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Child on Child abuse occurs when a young person is exploited, bullied and / or harmed by their peers who are the same or similar age; everyone directly involved in peer on peer abuse is under the age of 18

‘Child-on-Child’ abuse can relate to various forms of abuse (not just sexual abuse and exploitation), and crucially it does not capture the fact that the behaviour in question is harmful to the child perpetrator as well as the victim.

Research suggests that girls and young women are more at risk of abusive behaviours perpetrated by their peers; however it can also affect boys and young men, those with learning difficulties or disabilities, LGBTQ Children and young people (CYP) and those who are from different communities.

Situations where young people are forced or coerced into sexual activity by peers or associates can be related with gang / serious youth violence activity but that is not always the case. Peer influence or peer pressure is a major factor in the decisions made by young people to join groups. Many young people see it as a “way out” from their day to day life and feel a strong bond with their peers, one which they may be lacking at home.

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Childhood Trauma and the Brain | UK Trauma Council

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Adverse childhood experiences are traumatic events that can have negative, lasting effects on behaviour. Aces includes being physically emotionally and sexually abused as a child and growing u in a house with domestic violence, mental illness, alcohol or drug abuse or criminal problems

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Adverse childhood experiences are traumatic events that can have negative, lasting effects on behaviour. Aces includes being physically emotionally and sexually abused as a child and growing u in a house with domestic violence, mental illness, alcohol or drug abuse or criminal problems

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The 10 ACEs of Trauma

Physical abuse.

Sexual abuse.

Emotional abuse.

Physical neglect.

Emotional neglect.

Mental illness.

Divorce.

Substance abuse.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

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NNECA - National Network to End Child Abuse

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Could you spot the signs of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)?

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Barnardo's | Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) | Greg's Story

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Extra Familial Harm: an overview of the Contextual Safeguarding Approach

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National County Lines Coordination Centre

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This factsheet explains what a non-molestation order is, how it can protect victims of domestic abuse, and how to apply for one.

Men's Advice Line evaluation survey

Have you spoken to our Advisors? Tell us about your experience

Take our survey

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Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men | Men's Advice Line UK

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The Men's Advice Line is for male victims of domestic abuse. We offer confidential advice, non-judgmental support, practical information and help

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The government reintroduced the domestic abuse bill in parliament on 3rd March 2020. For Women's Aid, a domestic abuse bill has the potential to create a step change in the national response, to create a more effective approach to tackling domestic abuse. We will continue campaigning to ensure that the bill improves the response to domestic abuse at the earliest opportunity, across housing, health and social care, children's services, the family courts and many more.

It is vitally important to ensure survivors are able to escape to safety, and access the support they need to cope and recover from abuse. Covid-19 has laid bare the lack of protection and support for women and children experiencing domestic abuse and demonstrated the urgent need for change. Survivors are telling us that abuse is escalating during the pandemic, yet 85% of domestic abuse services responding to our survey have had to reduce or cancel one or more of their services. The bill must be underpinned by sustainable funding for life-saving specialist support services if it is to make a real difference to survivors' lives.

Women's Aid has spoken to survivors and services that support them, and we have brought their voices together to create a bill that works for survivors.

Become a Campaign Champion

Give survivors of domestic violence a voice and help to ensure that politicians and other key decision makers are listening.

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The government reintroduced the domestic abuse bill in parliament on 3rd March 2020. For Women's Aid, a domestic abuse bill has the potential to create a step change in the national response, to create a more effective approach to tackling domestic abuse.

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The Domestic Abuse Bill passed both Houses of Parliament and was signed into law on 29 April 2021.
What will the Domestic Abuse Act do?
The Domestic Abuse Act is set to provide further protections to the millions of people who experience domestic abuse, as well as strengthen measures to tackle perpetrators.

Detailed factsheets on each new measure are available on gov.uk
How will the Act help victims?
The Domestic Abuse Act will:

create a statutory definition of domestic abuse, emphasising that domestic abuse is not just physical violence, but can also be emotional, coercive or controlling, and economic abuse. As part of this definition, children will be explicitly recognised as victims if they see, hear or otherwise experience the effects of abuse;

create a new offence of non-fatal strangulation;

extending the controlling or coercive behaviour offence to cover post-separation abuse;

extend the 'revenge porn' offence to cover the threat to disclose intimate images with the intention to cause distress;

clarify the law to further deter claims of "rough sex gone wrong" in cases involving death or serious injury;

create a statutory presumption that victims of domestic abuse are eligible for special measures in the criminal, civil and family courts (for example, to enable them to give evidence via a video link);

establish in law the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, to stand up for victims and survivors, raise public awareness, monitor the response of local authorities, the justice system and other statutory agencies and hold them to account in tackling domestic abuse;

place a duty on local authorities in England to provide support to victims of domestic abuse and their children in refuges and other safe accommodation;

provide that all eligible homeless victims of domestic abuse automatically have 'priority need' for homelessness assistance;

place the guidance supporting the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme ("Clare's law") on a statutory footing;

ensure that when local authorities rehouse victims of domestic abuse, they do not lose a secure lifetime or assured tenancy;

provide that all eligible homeless victims of domestic abuse automatically have 'priority need' for homelessness assistance;

stop vexatious family proceedings that can further traumatise victims by clarifying the circumstances in which a court may make a barring order under section 91(14) of the Children Act 1989;

prohibit GPs and other health professionals from charging a victim of domestic abuse for a letter to support an application for legal aid

How will the Act strengthen measures to tackle perpetrators?
The Domestic Abuse Act will:

prohibit perpetrators of abuse from cross-examining their victims in person in family and civil courts in England and Wales;

bring the case of R vs Brown into legislation, invalidating any courtroom defence of consent where a victim suffers serious harm or is killed;

enable domestic abuse offenders to be subject to polygraph testing as a condition of their licence following their release from custody;

extend the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the criminal courts in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to further violent and sexual offences;

provide for a new Domestic Abuse Protection Notice and Domestic Abuse Protection Order, which will prevent perpetrators from contacting their victims, as well as force them to take positive steps to change their behaviour, e.g. seeking mental health support;

Extend the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the criminal courts in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to further violent and sexual offences;

Introduce a statutory duty on the Secretary of State to publish a domestic abuse perpetrator strategy (to be published as part of a holistic domestic abuse strategy).

When does the Act come into force?
The Act is now law and will begin to be implemented across criminal justice systems and agencies later this year.

The provision restating in statute law the general proposition that a person may not consent to the infliction of serious harm and, by extension, is unable to consent to their own death comes into force on Royal Assent.

The extension of the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the criminal courts in England and Wales comes into force two months after Royal Assent.
Will these measures apply across the United Kingdom?
The majority of the provisions in the Act apply to England and Wales, or England, only.

The provisions in the Act relate to devolved matters in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

At the request of the Scottish Government and the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland, the Act includes analogous provisions for Scotland and Northern Ireland extending the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the criminal courts.
Why was the m anagement of perpetrators amendment rejected?
Any victim of domestic abuse and stalking deserves to have these abhorrent crimes taken seriously, and we agree that high-harm domestic abuse perpetrators need to be effectively monitored and supervised so victims are protected. This is why serial and high harm domestic abuse offenders are already eligible for management under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA).

The Lords Amendment and its proponents was not calling for a 'stalking/perpetrator register'. What they were seeking is for serial abusers and stalkers to be effectively managed under MAPPA. That will be achieved through the existing framework.

We have committed to strengthening the MAPPA Statutory Guidance to include sections on domestic abuse and stalking to ensure that all agencies involved take steps to identify domestic abuse perpetrators whose risk requires further management and monitoring.
Why was the migrant victims amendment rejected?
Further information on the government's position on the amendments can be found in the WMS here and Commons Consideration of the Lords Amendments here.

Anyone who has suffered domestic abuse must be treated as a victim first and foremost, regardless of immigration status.

Migrant victims of domestic abuse who live here on a spousal visa receive help and support through the Destitute Domestic Violence Concession scheme. For those victims who are on other types of visa, such as student, visitor or work visas, or who are here illegally, and who are not eligible for existing support schemes such as the National Referral Mechanism, we have announced a pilot support scheme.

The Support for Migrant Victims Scheme will provide access to safe accommodation and specialist services for these victims, who have previously not been eligible for other support.

Following a robust commercial competition we have now announced that the £1.5million Support for Migrant Victims Scheme will be delivered by Southall Black Sisters, providing specialist support to migrant victims and building a solid evidence base for the help they need, in a sustainable programme for the future.

Further information on the government's position on the amendments can be found in the WMS here and Commons Consideration of the Lords Amendments here.

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The Domestic Abuse Bill passed both Houses of Parliament and was signed into law on 29 April 2021. What will the Domestic Abuse Act do? The Domestic Abuse Act is set to provide further protections to the millions of people who experience domestic abuse, as well as strengthen measures to tackle perpetrators.

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The impact of Domestic Violence of children

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The impact of Domestic Violence of children

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The effects

Studies show that living with domestic violence can cause physical and emotional harm to children and young people in the following ways:

ongoing anxiety and depression

emotional distress

eating and sleeping disturbances

physical symptoms, such as headaches and stomach aches

find it hard to manage stress

low self-esteem

self-harm

be aggressive towards friends and school mates

feel guilt or blame themselves for the violence

have trouble forming positive relationships

develop phobias and insomnia

struggle with going to school and doing school work

use bullying behaviour or become a target of bullying

difficulty concentrating

find it hard to solve problems

have less empathy and caring for others

Young people exposed to domestic and family violence are more likely to:

suffer from depression

be homeless

abuse drugs and alcohol

engage in risk-taking behaviours

experience or use violence and be controlling and manipulative in relationships

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What About Us? Perspectives of the children of domestic violence

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If you are in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you can't speak and are calling on a mobile press 55 to have your call transferred to the police. Find out how to call the police when you can't speak.

For free, confidential advice, 24 hours a day contact a domestic abuse helpline.

Household isolation instructions do not apply if you need to leave your home to escape domestic abuse.

Translated guidance

If English is not your first language, information has been translated into several languages as well as an easy read version.

Women's Aid also have guidance documents on domestic abuse and coronavirus available in a number of languages for victims, family and friends, and community members of those affected.

If you are deaf, you can access a British Sign Language video that explains how to get help if you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse.

Recognise domestic abuse

Does your partner, ex-partner or someone you live with:

cut you off from family and friends and intentionally isolate you?

bully, threaten, or control you?

take control of your finances?

monitor or limit your use of technology?

physically and/or sexually abuse you?

Domestic abuse is not always physical violence. It can also include:

coercive control and 'gaslighting'

economic abuse

online abuse

threats and intimidation

emotional abuse

sexual abuse

Anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, sexuality or background.

If you believe that you are a victim of domestic abuse, there are signs that you can look out for including:

being withdrawn, or being isolated from your family and friends

having bruises, burns or bite marks on you

having your finances controlled, or not being given enough to buy food, medication or pay bills

not being allowed to leave your house, or stopped from going to college or work

having your internet or social media use monitored, or someone else reading your texts, emails or letters

being repeatedly belittled, put down or told you are worthless

being pressured into sex or sexual contact

being told that abuse is your fault, or that you're overreacting

See more signs to look for.

Get help and support

All forms of domestic abuse are not acceptable in any situation.

If you're experiencing domestic abuse and feel frightened of, or controlled by, a partner, an ex-partner or family member, it's important to remember that it's not your fault and there is no shame in seeking help.

It may seem like a difficult step to take, but there is support available and #YouAreNot Alone.

Free, confidential support and advice is available to victims and their concerned family members or friends, 24 hours a day.

Bright Sky app

Bright Sky is a mobile app and website for anyone experiencing domestic abuse, or who is worried about someone else.

The app can be downloaded for free from the app stores. Only download the app if it is safe for you to do so and if you are sure that your phone isn't being monitored.

Women's Aid local support services directory

Women's Aid have a directory of domestic abuse support services across the UK.

If you are experiencing domestic abuse or are worried about friends or family, you can access the Women's Aid live chat service 7 days a week, 10am to 6pm.
helpline@womensaid.org.uk
Victim Support

Victim Support run these services for victims and survivors of any abuse or crime, regardless of when it occurred or if the crime was reported to the police:

Ask for ANI codeword

If you are experiencing domestic abuse and need immediate help, ask for ANI (Action Needed Immediately) in participating pharmacies and Jobcentres (Jobs and Benefits Offices in Northern Ireland).

When you ask for ANI, you will be offered a private space, provided with a phone and asked if you need support from the police or other domestic abuse support services.

To find your nearest participating provider, search using the postcode checker on the Ask for Ani page on the Enough website.

Ask for ANI logo used in participating pharmacies and Jobcentres (Jobs and Benefits Offices in Northern Ireland).

Safe Spaces

Ask for ANI is delivered in partnership with Safe Spaces, a safe and confidential room where victims can take some time to reflect, access information on specialist support services or call friends or family.

Safe Spaces are also available in Boots, Morrisons, Superdrug and Well pharmacies, TSB banks and independent pharmacies across the UK.

Find your nearest Safe Space.

Check whether someone has an abusive past

If you are concerned that a new, former or existing partner has an abusive past you can ask the police to check under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (also known as 'Clare's Law'). This is your 'right to ask'. If records show that you may be at risk of domestic abuse, the police will consider disclosing the information. A disclosure can be made if it is legal, proportionate and necessary to do so.

If you are concerned about a friend or family member, you can apply for a disclosure on behalf of someone you know.

You can make a request to the police for information about a person's previous violent offending in person at the police station or elsewhere, by telephone, by email, online or as part of a police investigation. Support agencies and services can also help you ask the police about this.

Get a court order to protect you or your child

If you're a victim of domestic abuse you can apply for a court order or injunction to protect yourself or your child from:

your current or previous partner

a family member

someone you currently or previously lived with

This is called a non-molestation or occupation order.

You can apply online, by email or by post.

Get a court order if you've been the victim of domestic abuse.

Support someone you know

If you are worried that a friend, neighbour or loved one is a victim of domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline for free and confidential advice, 24 hours a day on 0808 2000 247.

Or you can contact the other support services listed on this page.

Seeking help for someone you know can be challenging but #YouAreNotalone. Domestic abuse advisers will offer confidential, non-judgemental information and advice on the options available to you helping you to keep safe and make informed choices.

If you believe there is an immediate risk of harm to someone, or it is an emergency, you should always call 999.

If someone confides in you, there is more information on how to support a friend who is being abused.

If you are an employer

Let your employees know that if they are facing domestic abuse you want to help them to get help. Stay in regular contact with employees you know, or fear, may be facing abuse and if you lose contact with them, take swift action to visit them. If you believe there is an immediate risk of harm to someone, or it is an emergency, always call 999.

Encourage employees to look out for others who may be facing domestic abuse and signpost them to support. Your staff may also be worried about their own abusive behaviour at this time. There is no excuse for domestic abuse, no matter what stresses you are under and support is available.

Hestia's Respond to Abuse Advice Line is a free resource for employers. Employers can call 020 3879 3695 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, or email adviceline.eb@hestia.org for support, guidance or information about domestic abuse and how to support employees and colleagues experiencing domestic abuse.

The  Employers' Initiative on Domestic Abuse website provides resources to support employers including an  employers' toolkit.

If you are a professional working in the domestic abuse sector

SafeLives  provides guidance and support to professionals and those working in the domestic abuse sector, as well as additional advice for those at risk.

Find additional information and support

If you want to access help specifically to cater to your background and needs or want support and help for specific types of abuse there are several organisations that can help - see Domestic abuse: specialist sources of support.

You can also find additional information and support here on topics including:

help for children and young people

welfare benefits and housing advice

help if you don't have settled status in the UK

support for specific types of abuse

Get help if you think you might be an abuser

If you are concerned about your behaviour or the behaviour of someone you know, there is support available.

The Respect Phoneline  is an anonymous and confidential helpline for men and women who are abusing their partners and families. It is open Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm. The helpline also takes calls from partners or ex-partners, friends and relatives who are concerned about perpetrators.

A webchat service is available Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 11am and from 3pm to 4pm.

Telephone: 0808 802 4040

How to call the police when you can't speak

If you are in danger and unable to talk on the phone, call 999 and listen to the questions from the operator and, if you can, respond by coughing or tapping on the handset.

Call 999 from a mobile

If prompted, press 55 to Make Yourself Heard (PDF, 348KB) and this will transfer your call to the police. Pressing 55 only works on mobiles and does not allow police to track your location.

Call 999 from a landline

If the operator can only hear background noise and cannot decide whether an emergency service is needed, you will be connected to a police call handler.

If you replace the handset, the landline may remain connected for 45 seconds in case you pick up again.

When 999 calls are made from landlines, information about your location should be automatically available to the call handlers to help provide a response.

If you are deaf or can't use a phone

You can register with the emergencySMS. Text REGISTER to 999. You will get a text which tells you what to do next. Do this when it is safe so you can text when you are in danger.

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Find out how to get help if you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse.

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Domestic abuse, also called "domestic violence" or "intimate partner violence", can be defined as a pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. Abuse is physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that frighten, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, injure, or wound someone. Domestic abuse can happen to anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender. It can occur within a range of relationships including couples who are married, living together or dating. Domestic violence affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels.

Anyone can be a victim of domestic violence, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, faith or class

Victims of domestic abuse may also include a child or other relative, or any other household member.

Domestic abuse is typically manifested as a pattern of abusive behavior toward an intimate partner in a dating or family relationship, where the abuser exerts power and control over the victim.

Domestic abuse can be mental, physical, economic or sexual in nature. Incidents are rarely isolated, and usually escalate in frequency and severity. Domestic abuse may culminate in serious physical injury or death.

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A form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

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Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse. Sexual abuse can take place online, and technology can be used to facilitate offline abuse. Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children

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The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy, for example, as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to: provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment); protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger; ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs. Safeguarding issues

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The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child from participating in normal social interaction. It may inolve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyberbullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, although it may occur alone.