By Mary Chinyem Edhogbo
As a parent or carer of a teenager at risk of criminalisation, it might be challenging to know how to respond to certain situations. There might be time where you might feel overwhelmed or uncertain on what do or say next.
Firstly, it is important to fully understand what your teenager or the one you are caring for, might be going through.
Overview
Teenagers at risk of criminalisation might, for instance, be going through difficult times and emotions that make them become more vulnerable to surroundings or pressure. In fact, a person is more likely to be involved in violent crime due to a variety of individual and environmental circumstances. Being excluded from school or having a child maltreated are examples of personal risk factors. This might affect their emotions, their mental health, and their interaction.
It is therefore essential to promote wellbeing and healing. Moreover, in order to minimise unnecessary criminalization, as a parent or carer it is important to make sure that collaboration among social care, educational institutions, health care providers, the police, and other criminal justice partners is in place. It is important to promote a co-developed, entire system approach. This should cover preventative measures, like addressing the underlying causes of traumatic childhood events and mentoring.
Support
If as a parent or carer, going through this process and making important decisions makes you feel stressed and confused, here are some tips by Parent999, where you can start from:
- Firstly, knowing, recognising, and accepting who you are is crucial for stress management. It is essential to comprehend what drives (or motivate) you and how you respond to pressure.
- You could manage and change how you feel and what you do in response to both internal and external sources of stress, if you could identify and change any negative thinking habit. Remember that, even if you might not be in control of the outcome of certain situations, you can modify how you respond to them.
- As we are social creatures, the relationship with one another is very important. When your friends and family are there to sustain you, you function best. They provide you with the comfort and affirmation you require during difficult times. Therefore, try and be around people that can support you.
- Last but not least, make sure you seek for professional help.
If you would like to have additional support, you can contact Parent999 and the staff will reach out to you by providing tips or advice, as well as guiding you through difficult times.