What do Parents Know?

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Lorin LaFave, founder of the Breck Foundation, about online grooming. Lorin shares how her son, Breck, was groomed online and tragically killed by the man that was grooming him. We discuss Breck's story and also go through the signs that parents can look out for that might suggest online grooming is taking place. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to David Breakspear, somebody who was expelled from school and had various stints in prison. David was sexually abused as a child and displayed challenging behaviour at school. Rather than those around him trying to understand the whole child, David was labelled as a difficult kid and expelled from school. We discuss how his life spiraled out of control and how he now uses his lived experience to fight for justice for students who have behavioural issues at school. We also discuss what parents can do if they have a child who has been labelled as difficult or challenging to ensure they don't follow the same path that he did. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Parven Kaur, founder of Kids n Clicks, about how young people can keep safe online and how parents can keep their children safe online. We discuss the many benefits of the internet, but also the dangers and we delve into issues such as online grooming, pornography and social media. We also discuss how parents knowing their childs' digital world is the best way to ensure that young people can be safe and responsible whilst online. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Brian Dow, CEO of Mental Health UK and Deputy CEO of Rethink Mental Illness, about the impact that COVID has had on the mental health of young people. We discuss how going in and out of lockdowns has affected social interactions and how it has increased anxiety and withdrawal in young people. The conversation then moves onto removing the stigma of mental health in schools and the workplace and the signs that parents can look out for that might suggest a mental health issue in their teenager. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Natalie Queiroz, survivor of a horrific knife attack. Natalie shares her story, remembering every last detail about the day she was stabbed 24 times, and how, at eight months pregnant, both she and her baby survived. Natalie now works tirelessly to get knives off our streets and works works particular with young people to show them the dangers of knife crime. Natalie and I also discuss how parents can spot the signs that their child may be carrying a knife on a regular basis and what they can do for support.

Amit Singh Kalley talks to David Linton-Smith, counsellor, trainee psychotherapist and avid gamer, about the world of online gaming. We discuss all the jargon, such as skins and microtransactions, and we go through the risks that exist when teenagers game online. David also provides advice, guidance and information about how the online gaming world works, so that parents can better understand it and better monitor their teenager's use of it. There really is so much to learn and in order for parents to adequately support their teenagers in the online gaming world, they need to understand the online gaming world. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Holly Archer and Scarlett Jones, from the Holly Project, about Child Sexual Exploitation. Both guests talk with brutal honesty about going through CSE themselves and how they eventually managed to escape from the awful places they were in. We discuss how so many signs were missed and how easily they went from children to victims. We also discuss what signs parents should look out for and how communication between parents and children is so important so that things such CSE can't happen. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Liam Hackett, CEO of Ditch the Label, about identity and how young people today explore their identity so much more. We discuss Liam's own experience with being a victim of bullying which led him to start Ditch the Label, an organisation that now helps thousands of young people worldwide. Liam and I discuss how parents can be allies if their teenage children might be exploring their identity and we also discuss bullying and how young people, and parents, can be digitally literate. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Michael Thorpe, Educator and Mental Health Consultant, about exam anxiety and why so many teenagers suffer from it. We talk about Michael's own struggles with anxiety and how it led to him being a school refuser and then move onto what parents can do if they notice exam anxiety in their child. Given the uncertainty in the COVID era, more teenagers than ever are suffering from this and parents need to be on hand to say the right things and take the right action. Listen to Michael and I discuss exactly what you can do to help, rather than hinder, your child. 

Amit Singh Kalley talks to Paul Hannaford about his experience as a drug addict and gang leader. We talk about Paul's story right from being an innocent primary school child into a fully blown drug addict by his early twenties. Paul talks with brutal honesty as he discusses the choices he made in his life and how a near death experience at the age of 37 finally gave him the strength he needed to get clean. Paul now travels the country educating young people about the dangers of drug use and gang affiliation, using his lived experience to tell people what they don't know about those dangerous worlds.