What do Parents Know?

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Rachel Williams, founder of Stand Up to Domestic Violence, about her own experience as a survivor of domestic violence and attempted murder. Rachel shares her harrowing account, which also led to her 16 year old son taking his own life, and discusses how she uses her energy today to support victims of domestic abuse. In addition to this, we discuss what a healthy relationship looks like and why it's so important for young people to know how to form healthy relationships. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Louisa Rose, CEO of Beyond, about some of the dangers of social media use by teenagers. We discuss apps such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok and provide parents with advice and knowledge about how misusing these apps can lead to danger. We also discuss ways in which social media can be used positively by teenagers and how parents can play a crucial role in supporting their teenagers' inevitable use of social media. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Duncan Craig OBE, CEO of Survivors Manchester about how his organisation serves to help victims of sexual abuse. Duncan is a survivor himself and he uses his awful experience to support young males who go through the same thing today. We discuss the impact that being sexually abused can have on males and we also deal with the challenges of creating safe spaces for males, members of ethnic minorities and the Trans community. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Malik Rhodius, a case worker in the London Borough of Newham, about county lines and what it all means. Being from one of the most deprived areas in the UK, Malik ran his own county line and sold drugs to earn a lot of money. He now uses his lived experience to keep young people safe from exploitation by drug gangs and to ensure they don't become part of a county line. We discuss Malik's experience as a drug dealer and how parents can look out for signs of exploitation in their teenager. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Hannah Opie and Priya Naga-Swainson, Community Outreach Workers at Papyrus, the leading charity for young suicide prevention. We discuss the work that Papyrus does to support young people who feel suicidal and we tackle some of the difficult issues, such as looking out for signs that somebody might be suicidal. Suicide is the biggest killer of people under the age of 35 and Hannah, Priya and I have a candid and open discussion about how society can work together to change this and what parents can do to support their teenagers through times of difficulty. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Dawn Dines, CEO of SOS Global, about drink spiking and how common it is. We discuss why drinks are spiked and what young people can do to avoid it from happening. We also discuss the signs to look out for that a drink may have been spiked and when to report drink spiking to the police. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Steven Russell, Director of Elements, about his own difficult experience growing up in the care system and how he dedicates his life to helping young people in the system today. Steven spent his teenage years with various foster families and was labelled a difficult child because of his poor behaviour. What Steven so desperately needed was love and attention and when he got this, his life changed. Young people in the care system today need a holistic approach to ensure they have the same life chances as their peers not in the care system. Join Steven and I as we discuss this, and more. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Byron Highton, founder of the JJ Effect, about knife crime and the impact that the murder of his teenage brother had on him growing up. Byron has his own unique style, which might not be for everybody, but his commitment and passion to see less young people carrying weapons should be commended. Byron and I also discuss the negative influence that social media can have on young people and why so many young people feel the need to carry a weapon for their own safety. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Lynn Gradwell, Director of Children's Services at Barnados, about how young people are recruited into gangs. We discuss county lines and how many young people are unknowingly recruited into gangs to transport drugs and then find themselves too far in to be able to get out. Lynn and I also talk about how parents need to take an interest in their childrens' lives in order to understand what they are going through and the issues they may have. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Cath Knibbs, academic researcher on Cybertrauma, about exactly what the term means and how people like her support young people dealing with online harm. We discuss exactly what cybertrauma is, how parents can stop it from happening and also how parents should embrace their teenagers' digital life, rather than try to stop it from existing. Cath also shares her experience of TikTok and the issues its huge usage has caused in young people.