Safeguarding is the term used when talking about protecting vulnerable adults and young people from abuse or neglect. At Westminster Kingsway College, we are committed to ensuring that every member of staff is safeguarding-trained to help ensure our college is a safe place for your child to study.
Each of our centres has appointed Safeguarding Officers who can be contacted about any concerns; posters are placed around all of our centres so that students can identify and contact a Safeguarding Officer, should they need to.
All complaints, allegations or suspicions of abuse or Safeguarding concerns are dealt with through our Safeguarding, Child Protection and Adults at Risk Policy. The policy can be found on the Capital City College Group website.
Safeguarding also requires collaboration with parents. We know that parenting a young person can sometimes be very challenging. Maintaining a positive relationship can at times be difficult as they grow and become independent, develop new relationships and seek to find their own identity.
There have been many reports in the media recently of young people being targeted by adults who hold extreme views that advocate violence. A number of young people have been persuaded to leave the UK in secret against the wishes of their families, putting themselves in extreme danger. This page aims to help parents and carers recognise when their child may be at risk of radicalisation and where to get help if they are worried.
Extremism is where someone holds views that are intolerant of people of
Radicalisation happens when a person’s thinking and behaviour become significantly different from how most of the members of their society and community view social issues and participate politically.
People who become radicalised can be from a diverse range of ethnic, national, political and religious groups. As a person radicalises they may begin to seek to change significantly the nature of society and government. However, if someone decides that using fear, terror or violence is justified to achieve ideological, political or social change – this is violent extremism.
Violent far-right or Islamist extremists, usually attract people to their cause through a persuasive narrative which will attempt to explain why a person may feel certain grievances, thus justifying any violent or criminal actions which are seen to avenge any perceived wrongs suffered.
Young people may be drawn to extreme views because:
– They may be searching for answers to questions about identity, faith and belonging
– They are trying to make sense of world events
– They have a personal grievance or experience of racism or discrimination and feel they want to change things
– They are under pressure from their peers who have links with these
Young people may come into contact with adults and peers with extremist views both online and in everyday life. This person may be a relative or stranger they meet online.
Contact online may be through sites such as Facebook, Twitter or YouTube or other social sites. Children may need to spend a lot of time on the internet while studying, but sometimes young people can be invited to use other less well-known sites such as
These can be useful tools but we need to be aware there are powerful programmes and networks that use social media to reach out to young people and can communicate extremist messages.
Extremists often manipulate young people by using emotional triggers to engage with them and may target them when they are experiencing difficulties such as bereavement, emotional trauma, mental health issues or social isolation.
The following could describe general teenage behaviour but together with other signs may mean a young person is being radicalised:
– Out of character changes in dress
– Spending increasing amounts
– Becoming quick to condemn others
– Secretive behaviour
– Losing interest in friends and activities
– Becoming isolated or withdrawn
– Showing sympathy for extremist causes
– Justifying or even glorifying violence
– Possessing illegal or extremist literature
Have regular discussions with your child to discover whether they have any worries and what their interests are. Talk to your child about what they see on the TV, read in the media or the internet. Discuss their opinions and inform them that what they read or see may not be the whole picture.
Encourage your child to show an interest in the local community and show respect for people from all faiths and backgrounds.
Teach them that expressing strong views and trying to change things for the better is fine but they should not take violent action against others or support those that do.
Offer them peaceful means to express themselves such as petitions, campaigns and engage in politics in our democracy.
Other things you can do are:
– Help your child to understand the dangers of becoming involved in situations about which they may not have the full information
– Be aware of your child’s online activity and update your own knowledge
– Know what social media and messaging sites your child uses
– Remind your child that people they contact over the internet may be pretending to be someone else or telling them things that are not true
– Explain that anyone who tells them not to inform their parent or teachers of their discussion or ask them to keep secrets is likely to do them harm or put them in danger.
If you are worried and feel there is a risk of your child leaving the country, consider what precautions you might take to prevent them from travelling, such as keeping their passport in a safe place.
You should also consider what access your child has to savings accounts, check spending habits, and check gifts of money from family and friends.
If you have any concerns please talk to your child’s personal tutor or to the Safeguarding Officers in your child’s centre as soon as possible. They will be able to help and can access support for you and your child.
For more information on Safeguarding, take a look at the following links: