Archive Website of the UK government

Behaviour

Here are some examples of changes in behaviour to watch out for:

• has your child seemed distant or detached from the family?
• is there a sudden loss of interest in school, or have they stopped attending school?
• has their school work suddenly started to get worse – for example have they had worse grades or bad reports?
• has the school or college reported worrying changes in behaviour?
• has your child dropped out of after school clubs?
• have they started to use new slang words?
• do they suddenly have unexplained money or possessions?
• have they started to stay out late without giving a reason, or are they vague about who they are out with?
• do they have a new nickname?
• is there a new person in their life who they appear to be influenced or led by?
• have they lost touch with old friends and just hang around with one group?
• do they have aggressive or intimidating views towards other young people – even old friends?
• do you think they might be using or dealing drugs?

Visual signs

• has there been a sudden change in appearance – like dressing in a particular style or colour similar to all the other people they hang around with?
• have there been any unexplained physical injuries?
• have they started to use graffiti style ‘tags’ (signatures) on possessions, school books, walls or buildings?
• have they started displaying signs of group behaviour: ways of talking and acting in line with other members of the group, or perhaps using hand signs?

Other things you should know

• girls are increasingly likely to be gang members
• gangs will often have profiles on networking websites like Myspace or Bebo, so be aware of what your child is doing on the internet
• internet chat rooms and text messages can be used to bully people into joining gangs (bullying, intimidation and peer pressure play a large part in gang recruitment)
• chat rooms and texts can also be used to organise crime or violence

• Find out how to keep your child safe online

More information on gangs

• Gangs and gang crime: the facts

• Preventing and dealing with involvement in gangs

Useful contacts

• Parents contacts