StaySafe

This area of the site provides guidance and resources to help learners stay safe, healthy and well while on programme. This includes information on personal safety, wellbeing, online safety and where to go for support if you are worried or need help.

Learners, parents and carers are encouraged to familiarise themselves with this information so that concerns can be recognised early and appropriate support accessed.

Exploitation

Exploitation is when someone uses power and intimidation over an individual or group in order to gain something unfairly, such as money, labour or sexual gratification. Everyone is vulnerable to being exploited in some way, especially by those in a position of importance or trust. Child sexual exploitation is a form of sexual abuse where children are sexually exploited for money, power or status. It can involve violent, humiliating and degrading sexual assaults. In some cases, young people are persuaded or forced into exchanging sexual activity for money, drugs, gifts, affection or status.

Young Carers

A young carer is someone aged 18 or under who helps look after a relative with a disability, illness, mental health condition, or drug or alcohol problem.

Violence

Being physically aggressive with the intent to harm someone. This could be from someone you have a personal relationship with such as a partner or a family member. Honour based violence is a violent crime or incident which may have been committed to protect or defend the honour of the family or community. It is often linked to family members or acquaintances who mistakenly believe someone has brought shame to their family or community by doing something that is not in keeping with the traditional beliefs of their culture.

Sexting

Sending sexually explicit digital images, videos, text messages, social media messages or emails, usually by mobile phone.

Relationships and Sex

We are taught about love and relationships from a young age through relationships with our friends and family, then when we are older, through books, television, movies, pop songs and social media. However, these notions of love and how relationships should be can be harmful as they may not portray them realistically. These messages might be helpful for the minority of people that meet their 'one' at a young age and then have a happy life-long relationship together. However, for everyone else, they may do more harm than good and may affect the way we feel about ourselves.

Mental Health

Relationship abuse is an incident or a pattern of incidents where controlling, coercive, violent or threatening behaviours are used towards an intimate partner or family member. Relationship abuse does not always include violence, it can also be emotional, psychological, financial or sexual and can include threats, isolation, humiliation and intimidation.

Mental Health

Mental ill health can affect anyone at any time, at any point in their life, whether you are a child, adult or older person. Some examples of mental health conditions are depression and anxiety but there are many more. Loss or separation, life changes or traumatic events can all affect our mental wellbeing. Feeling like you have a mental health condition or being diagnosed with one is nothing to be ashamed of, and people should ask for help as soon as they are feeling that they are unable to cope with day to day life because of their mental health.

Prevent

Prevent is about safeguarding people and communities from the threat of terrorism. Prevent is one of the four elements of CONTEST, the government's counter-terrorism strategy. It aims to stop people being radicalised and becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

Illegal Drugs

Illegal drugs are substances that are banned by the government and it is illegal to sell them or possess them. Illegal drugs can affect physical and mental health and can become both physically and psychologically addictive.

Human Trafficking

Human trafficking and modern slavery is abuse. It is illegal, but it continues to flourish in every large town and city in the UK (NCA, 2017). There is no 'typical' victim of modern slavery. Victims can be men, women, and children of all ages, ethnicities, nationalities and backgrounds. Human trafficking is the illegal movement of people through force, fraud or deception, with the intention of exploiting them through forced labour, sexual exploitation or criminal activity. Someone is in slavery if they are forced to work, if they are owned or controlled by an employer, if they are dehumanised and treated as a commodity, or bought and sold as 'property', or if they are physically constrained or have restrictions placed on their freedom of movement.

Homelessness

The definition of homelessness means not having a home. It includes rough sleeping but can also include those in accommodation which is unsuitable for their needs. You count as homeless if you are: Staying with friends or family Staying in a hostel, night shelter or B&B Squatting (because you have no legal right to stay) At risk of violence or abuse in your home Living in poor conditions that affect your health Living apart from your family because you don't have a place to live together REFERENCE: SHELTER

Hate Crime

Hate crimes are any crimes that are targeted at a person because of hostility or prejudice towards a person's disability, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or transgender identity. This can be committed against a person or property and can have a devastating impact on the individual or group that is being targeted. A victim does not have to be a member of the group at which the hostility is targeted. In fact, anyone could be a victim of a hate crime.

Forced Marriage

You have the right to choose who you marry, when you marry or if you marry at all. Forced marriage is when you face physical pressure to marry (for example, threats, physical violence or sexual violence) or emotional and psychological pressure (for example if you're made to feel like you are bringing dishonour on your family).

Faith Abuse

Faith and belief-based child abuse, including practices around 'spirit possession' and 'witchcraft', is a hidden crime, which makes it difficult to quantify in terms of magnitude.

Gang and Youth Violence

A gang can just be a group of mates who hang around together, however, some gangs are involved in crime. Sometimes gangs are violent and might fight other gangs or carry weapons. If you're being forced to join a gang you should tell someone about it.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a procedure where the female genitals are intentionally cut, injured or changed, but where there is no medical purpose for this to be done. FGM is typically carried out on young girls between infancy and the age of 15, most commonly before puberty starts. It is very painful and can seriously harm the health of women and girls. It can also cause long-term problems with sex, childbirth and mental health. Religious, social or cultural reasons are sometimes given for FGM. However, FGM is child abuse, it is dangerous and a criminal offence. It is also a criminal offense to carry out vaginal tattoos and piercings on children under the age of 18.

Fabricated or Induced Illness

Fabricated or induced illness (FII) is a rare form of child abuse. It occurs when a parent or carer, usually the child's biological mother, exaggerates or deliberately causes symptoms of illness in the child.

Children Missing Education

Children missing education are at significant risk of underachieving, being victims of harm, exploitation or radicalisation and becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) later in life. Therefore it is so important Buttercups are made aware if a learner is not attending their work placement or not engaging in the training. We can hopefully look to the reasons why, so the right help and support can be provided.

Children missing from home or care

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is a key duty on local authorities and requires effective collaboration between agencies and professionals. When a child goes missing or runs away they are at risk. Safeguarding children therefore includes protecting them from this risk. Local authorities are responsible for protecting children whether they go missing from their family home or from local authority care. (Keeping Children Safe in Education 2016)

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is any form of bullying which takes place online and/or through e-devices such as smartphones and tablets. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or malicious content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behaviour. Whilst it can affect people of all ages, young people are most vulnerable and the effects can be devastating. It has been well documented that cyberbullying has resulted in tragic events including suicide and self-harm.

Bullying

There is no legal definition of bullying. However it is usually defined as a repeated behaviour which is intended to hurt someone, either emotionally or physically and is often aimed at certain people because of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or any other aspect, such as their appearance or disability.