If you suspect your son may be involved with crime.

This is one of the toughest things a parent may face, the acknowledgement that their son might be breaking the law. You might feel anger, shame, fear, responsibility, embarrassment, its’ normal to feel them all.  The important thing is that you feel able to talk to your son and you know where to go for help. Please let the school know if you have any of these concerns and we may be able to offer advice and we can work together on a solution to help you both.

Why Children Commit Crime

There is generally no simple reason why children become involved in offending. Certain circumstances happening at the same time can cause children to commit crime such as:

• not doing well in school
• truanting from school
• difficult family relationships
• having friends who commit crime
• drug and alcohol misuse
• mental health issues, such as attention deficient and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Parents are usually the most important people in their children’s lives. Their views and behaviours can have a good or bad influence on their children’s behaviour including offending behaviour.

Children are much less likely to get into trouble if their parents:

• have a good relationship with them and can talk openly with them
• can agree sensible clear rules and encourage them to stick to them as much as possible
• know where they are and what they are up to.

This doesn’t mean that a child from a loving home with a great relationship with their parents cannot be lead astray.