From Listening to Leading:
Go-Getta CIC & H.O.P.E Training CIC
Get Ready for New Parks Parents/Carers session
When we launched the LLR Teenage Relationship Abuse (TRA) Project, we knew that getting it right for young people meant getting it right for the adults around them also.
Parents and carers are often the first to notice that something feels “off”…. a change in mood, withdrawn behaviour, a controlling friendship or relationship…. yet they are too often left without the language, the knowledge, or the confidence to act.
That is exactly why we delivered our first wave of parents and carers sessions as part of the pilot phase. And it is what has helped us shape everything we are bringing to New Parks.
What the Pilot Taught Us
Our initial pilot delivered 2025-26 reached 52 parents and carers through community-based sessions, and they rated the experience a perfect 5 out of 5. But beyond the score, it was what they told us that mattered most.
Parents arrived with questions they hadn’t known how to ask. They wanted to understand the dynamics of teenage relationships; what is normal development and what is a warning sign. They were alarmed by how much of teenage relationship abuse now plays out online, and how technology has created new avenues for control and manipulation that many of them had never considered. They wanted to talk about real cases, including the story of Holly Newton, and they wanted to know ‘what could have been done differently’?
Crucially, they told us they needed to hear from experts. They wanted practical tools for engaging young people in conversations earlier. They asked about intersectionality – how culture, religion, neurodiversity, and sexuality shape both the experience of abuse and the ability to seek help. And they said, repeatedly, that they wanted support in recognising the red flags before a situation becomes a crisis. We heard them. Everything we are delivering in New Parks has been built on that foundation plus more.
Why Holly Newton’s Story Matters
At the heart of this project is a commitment to centring real lives. Holly Newton was 15 years old when she was tragically taken from her family in January 2023. Her parents, Micala and Lee, have since dedicated themselves to raising awareness of teenage relationship abuse and supporting other young people to spot the signs; work they carry out through the Holly Hope website and their campaign for Holly’s Law; a legislative proposal to ensure younger victims of domestic abuse receive full legal recognition and protection.
Holly’s story is not a cautionary tale, it is a call to action. It reminds us why this project exists, why the age of disclosure and intervention matters, and why we cannot wait until a young person is 16 before we take their experiences seriously. The TRA Project is committed to reducing the age at which parents, carers, and young people themselves can access awareness, support, and safety.
Our sessions in New Parks are about community. They are about reaching families where they are, speaking directly to the people who love and live alongside young people every day, and building their confidence to have the conversations that could make all the difference.
We are not coming with a lecture. We are coming with what we have Learned – from the parents before you, from the young people in our
Youth Voice Ambassador Network, from Practitioners across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, and from the families like Micala and Lee who have turned their grief into purpose.
Our workshops provide parents and carers with the knowledge and confidence to start these important conversations. Here are 5 Tips for Parents/Carers supporting a young person that may be experiencing
Teenage Relationship Abuse:
- Start the conversation before there is a crisis.
Don’t wait for a red flag. Talk openly about healthy relationships – what respect looks like, what jealousy can escalate into, and what your young person deserves from anyone they are close to. Early, calm conversations build the trust that makes them more likely to come to you when something feels wrong.
- Know the warning signs – especially online.
TRA increasingly plays out in digital spaces. Monitoring a partner’s messages, demanding constant contact, controlling who they follow or speak to online, these are forms of abuse. If your child has become secretive about their phone or anxious when they can’t check it, take notice.
- Believe them and don’t minimise what they share.
If a young person tells you something is wrong in their relationship, or even hints at. It, resist the urge to reassure them it will pass. Validate what they are feeling. “That doesn’t sound okay” is a powerful starting point.
- Stay connected, even when they pull away.
Abusive partners often work to isolate their victims from family. If your young person is spending less time at home, seems reluctant to see friends, or appears to be walking on eggshells, keep the door open. Let them know you are there without pressure.
- Get support for yourself too.
Supporting a young person in a harmful relationship is emotionally exhausting and can feel frightening. Reaching out to organisations like H.O.P.E Training CIC , Go-Getta CIC, or the resources available through agencies like Safelives means you don’t have to navigate this alone and means you’ll be better placed to support them.
The TRA Project is delivered in New Parks by Go-Getta CIC and H.O.P.E Training & Leadership CIC, funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
For more information, follow @gogettacic and @meena_kumari_hope.
