CUMBRIA Constabulary’s Child Centred Policing Team are launching a campaign full of educational information, guidance, and support.

The campaign, titled Did you Know? Is focused on providing policing and wellbeing information relevant to parent and carers and young people.

CCPT officers have been trained in specialist areas including, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma Informed Care.

Inspector Gemma Hannah, Child Centred Policing Lead said: “The purpose of this campaign is to raise awareness and provide advice and guidance for some of the issues which may impact on a child’s life.

“The policing of children is an incredibly important part of the service we deliver. Children represent our future society and what we do now will influence the confidence they have in us to make them feel safe, supported and engaged for generations to come.”

“Bringing a child centred policing focus to the force has already created results. We have witnessed many success stories, with young people making positive choices, improving their life chances and wellbeing.

“Being able to dedicate our work to supporting children through the Child Centred Policing Team is hugely rewarding.”

“Anyone under the age of 18 is a child. Their emotional and physical maturity is different from adults and needs to be understood - in particular, distress and trauma manifests itself differently in a child’s behaviour.”

“Our child centred policing teams are focus on the ‘why’ of behaviour and that is very effective; what does life look like for the child, have they suffered any trauma, do they have any unmet needs? From abuse, conditioning, bereavement to fear, if we can understand the ‘why’ and provide the right support plan, then we have a real opportunity to stop negative behaviour, creating a life-changing opportunity. That possibility for every child, from our intervention, is really important to me.”

Cumbria’s Child Centred policing team is part of a national strategy led by the National Police Chief’s Council. The national strategy for the policing of children and young people includes five priority areas:

- Children in care and care leavers

- Youth offending and criminalisation

- Police custody

- Prevention of harm

- Engagement and relationships