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Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Children & Young People Mental Health Support

HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

This is a caring relationship:

  • Being good friends

  • Freedom to do your own thing

  • Time and space to see your friends

  • Having your own interests

  • Knowing your opinions are respected

  • Listening to each other

  • Having fun together

  • Trusting each other

  • Being able to disagree with each other

  • Being able to go at your own pace - including sexuality

  • Making decisions together

  • Being able to talk about it when you have an argument

  • Feeling safe

  • Respecting the decisions if either of you want to end the relationship

This is not a caring relationship:

  • Your boyfriend/girlfriend gets angry when you talk to someone else.

  • Your boyfriend/girlfriend is verbally aggressive or physically threatening.

  • Your boyfriend/girlfriend calls you names, puts you down, and makes you feel bad.

  • Your boyfriend/girlfriend uses force, threats, emotional blackmail, or bargains to make you do things you don’t want to do.

  • Your boyfriend/girlfriend threatens to harm any of your family, friend, pets or property.

  • Your boyfriend/girlfriend posts unpleasant or intimately revealing things about you on the internet.

If any of these things are happening to you, you may be in an abusive relationship.

Relationship abuse is not a one off event. It is a cycle and usually gets worse if nothing is done to stop it.

It is not your fault - abusers are responsible for their behaviour. If you are in an abusive relationship the best thing you can do is to end it. This may be tough and you may need help.

  • Find support from the people who care about you

  • Contact one of the local support services listed on our page here

  • Go out in groups (not alone) for a while

  • Carry a mobile phone or phone card and save phone numbers of people or organisations who can offer support

  • Carry money

  • Make sure you can always get home safely

  • Speak to an adult you trust. 


Companyare empowering all 13-24 year old girls, young women, and non-binary people with knowledge and confidence to help their friends. Through the Your Best Friend project we’ll help each other understand young people’s relationships, what happens when they become unsafe and provide you and other young people with the knowledge and confidence to help yourself or your friends. Click their logo to find out more!


disrespect nobodySafe4Me

The Disrespect NoBody campaign helps prevent young people from becoming perpetrators and victims of abusive relationships by encouraging them to re-think their views of abuse, controlling behaviour and what consent and sexting – the sending of explicit images by phone or email – means within relationships. The campaign is targeted at 12 to 18 year olds – both boys and girls – and aims to prevent them from becoming perpetrators and victims of abusive relationships. It provides information on understanding the meaning of consent, what rape is, relationship abuse, pornography and sexting, along with the signs on how to spot them, the consequences and supporting advice. There is also contact information giving access to help from trusted organisations should you be worried about yourself or somebody you know - click the logo to find out more. 


The Hide Out

Women’s Aid have created this space to help young people understand domestic abuse, and how to take positive action if it’s happening to you.


thinkuknowThinkuknow is an education programme from the National Crime Agency’s CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection) Command.  Thinkuknow has been keeping children and young people safe by providing education about sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. Thinkuknow aims to ensure that everyone has access to this practical information – children, young people, their parents and carers and the professionals who work with them. Alongside the Thinkuknow website the programme provides educational resources, including films, cartoons and lesson plans, to help professionals raise young people’s awareness - click their logo to go to their website.


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