Netflix's Adolescence - Empowering the safeguarding discussion

The show makes significant reference to toxic masculinity, incel subculture and the way that this permeates the school environment.  But what is the incel subculture, what is the role of online influencers and what can we do to counteract this?  This safeguarding insight takes a look into all these issues.

From emojis to acronyms on the bottom of assignments, children and young people often speak their own language with a view to avoiding the adults around them from understanding what is being said.  This is nothing new, we have all played our part in this as children ourselves.  However, as with anything related to safeguarding, there is a sinister side, and so as professionals we must try to understand what is going on for children and young people in our care and ensure that if we do hear or see conversations we can help support as necessary.  This insight will consider the impact of language and how we work with children and young people.

As stated above, this is nothing new. The 2021 Ofsted Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges exposed a significant issue in educational settings across the country.  Unfortunately, for many, this was not new information, but served to focus our attention on the issue and how to support staff to address issues of sexual violence and sexual harassment in education settings.  As part of our two year cycle of training resources, Safeguarding Network's focus for April 2025 is sexual violence and sexual harassment.  Providing our members with a range of materials including

• a PowerPoint presentation covering what sexual violence and sexual harassment are, use of language, consent, vulnerable groups and how to respond.
• presenter notes - notes accompanying each of the slides allowing more information to be added allowing you to provide high quality training to your staff without needing to spend time researching and developing your own training package.
• a one page handout that can be printed and provided to staff covering the key points around sexual violence and sexual harassment.
• a quiz that you can give to staff either before providing training to gauge their knowledge or after the training to evidence assimilation of knowledge. Includes questions such as "how would you define consent".  We provide a sheet with suggested answers as well allowing you to check responses.
• scenarios differentiated by setting, covering EFYS, primary, secondary, 16+ / FE, SEND settings and care providers.  Each one page scenario provides background information and details a specific incident, asking the staff how they would respond.  Each scenario also comes with a DSL information sheet that sets out what Safeguarding Network suggests should happen in response to the incident.

The way children and young people behave and the influences that shape them are by no means limited to the school gates, and education plays only one part in the development of children and young people.  The environment in which they live outside school can be just as significant if not more so.  It is therefore important that we understand how this may influence them both positively and negatively.

Public sexual harassment (PSH) is a form of gender-based violence which impacts the lives of young people as they navigate physical and online spaces. It is a form of gender-based violence, comprising of unwelcomed and unwanted attention, sexual advances and intimidating behaviour that occurs in public spaces, both in person and online.

Knife crime is central to the plot of Adolescence, and in a wider, societal context it is rarely out of the news, with the number of offences involving a blade or sharp instrument doubling in the last decade - this in contrast to the wider picture around crime which statistics suggest is falling.  There are many reasons why children and young people carry knives, and this insight looks at these, as well as what education settings can do to work with children and young people and keep them safe.

The first episode of Adolescence looks at the process of arrest of the suspect.  As he is a child the law requires that the police ensure that there is an appropriate adult present when he is processed in the police station (i.e. read his rights, has his photos and DNA taken and a search completed). In the episode this role is initially undertaken by a professional, however his father then adopts the role of appropriate adult.  However, if no family adult family member or suitable member of the community is available, as professionals we may be asked to take on the role of appropriate adult.  The role is not one of just standing by and observing, it is about making sure that the suspect's rights are protected and that the suspect understands what is being asked of them.  This insight looks at the role of the appropriate adult and what it entails, using the Serious Case Review of Child Q as a base.

Knife crime is often linked (rightly or wrongly) with the prevalence of gangs in an area. Gang membership and associated youth violence can have a devastating impact on children, young people and their families.  When does being part of a peer group transition from a normal part of childhood development into a hierarchical structure with rites, status and an association with youth violence?  We look at the reasons for joining a gang, what the indicators may be and how to respond, with associated training materials for member settings.

As we have seen above, Adolescence identified that children and young people have their own language that we need to be aware of and ask questions about.  As professionals however we also need to be aware of the language that we use as this can then form opinions and be used as a means of stereotyping the children and young people we work with, potentially influencing our responses to them.  This insight looks at the impact of language used by professionals and how the need to recognise the impact that our words have on the lives of those we work with.

In the second episode of Adolescence, there is a scene where two members of school staff (presumably members of the senior leadership team) are talking about how as a school they are going to manage the fall out.  They speak about parents asking if the school is safe and the need to open a "grief support room" with one saying "we're security guards and social workers now are we?"

Responding to traumatic incidents of any nature requires clear planning with consideration given to managing a number of different avenues and groups including pupils, parents, staff and the media.  All of these will have different demands at different times, with all their needs being valid.  In this insight we look at how you might consider responding to traumatic incidents, what needs to be considered and whether some planning now can mitigate the impact of a traumatic incident should it happen.

A key part of toxic masculinity is coercive and controlling behaviour. Andrew Tate, often seen as one of the leading influencers of young men is known for statements such as women being men's property, hitting and choking ex-partners and stopping them from going out. 

The College of Policing set out, “In many relationships, there are occasions when one person makes a decision on behalf of another, or when one partner takes control of a situation and the other has to compromise. The difference in an abusive relationship is that decisions by a dominant partner can become rules that, when broken, lead to consequences for the victim.”

Our training materials on domestic abuse consider coercive and controlling behaviour alongside other elements of domestic abuse.

We have created a training pack specifically around the issues raised in the series.  The pack follows the format of our monthly safeguarding updates with a PowerPoint, presenter notes, quiz (with answers), handout and scenarios.  With this pack the scenarios are generic, but focus on the different areas discussed in the training to allow DSLs to understand the level of knowledge in the workforce.

In order to help embed staff learning, build their confidence in safeguarding and really make a difference to students we are giving you access to these materials for free.  Click the link below to access the materials.