Police back programme helping to educate parents

The course, developed by Safer Devon, offers advice on subjects such as drugs, alcohol, and online safety

Police in south Devon are supporting the launch of a programme teaching parents and guardians to understand challenges young people face.

'Let's Talk', developed by the group Safer Devon, provides a mixture of free resources including virtual toolkits and online sessions for those with children aged between nine and eighteen.

Nearly 6,000 people in Devon have completed the course, which provides advice on the subjects of drugs, alcohol, exploitation, and online safety.

Ch Insp Miranda Pusey who leads neighbourhood police teams in the area, described the programme as "invaluable".

'Prevention is key'

She said: "Let’s Talk covers a number of topics that we see regularly as police officers that are impacting young people.

“They provide reliable information in a bitesize format to share important messages, including warning signs to look out for, where to go for help and support, and guidance about how parents and guardians can support young people impacted by the issues discussed."

One parent shared feedback on the sessions and said: “I have been feeling so alone and isolated as a single parent.

"This has made me feel supported in just an hour and a half.”

Rebecca Hewitt, chair of South Devon and Dartmoor Community Safety Partnership, said: “We believe that prevention is the key and that parents and carers are a vital part of the solution."

"So in order to help, we wanted to make information around these subjects freely available in a non-judgemental and easy to access way so parents and carers can support their children to become happy, resilient young people who can safely manage risk.

"We know from experience that parenting is incredibly difficult and the feedback we have received shows us that parents really value the information we are providing and feel that the Let’s Talk programme has helped them."