DS shown drug video - county lines and how to handle?

[HeathersFeathers]

DS said ‘I need to tell you something but you must promise not to tell the school’ .
Today during class, two boys ‘Z’ and ‘X’ were jesting around, posturing/showing off trying to establish a pecking order. My DS is not friends with, but sits next to child Z.
Child X said I’ve got year 11 friends who can sort you out’ to child Z. Then Z said ‘well I know people in these circles so you can’t touch me’ and proceeded to show X and my DS a video of himself with lots of bags of weed lined up on a table wrapped in cling film and was saying to the camera, this one is x grams, this one x grams etc. like a sales video . (To be clear - Z was in the video talking to the camera) Z told my DS , he was going to save up to buy a ‘scaler’ something along those lines, DS not sure what drug paraphernalia looks like or names for it. DS said how much is one of those and what’s it for . Z said ‘it’s a machine to roll joints with’. They are 12.
DS has begged me not to tell the school as apparently only himself, child X and another person have been shown this video. DS is scared it could be traced back to him telling someone.
What should I do with this information? I mean, I know what I should do, but I don’t know that I can trust the school to handle
this properly and protect my DS .
DS has had trouble in the past from tough kids at this school, I raised concerns and DS said it caused him some problems, ended up with a smack in the mouth. ( inner city school that has its fair share of issues).
can’t help but think it’s county lines. Obv told DS to stay away from this kid.

If my son told me something like this in confidence I honestly don't think I could go against his wishes.

These sort of kids aren't going to go away and they can make the next six years of your sons life hell. It doesn't sound like he's a bad kid, but I would be telling my son the reality of what he's involved in, tell him to be mindful and keep him at arm's length.

There will always be kids selling weed at school, it's just the reality (it was at my school) and they aren't all bad people. Although of course I wouldn't encourage hanging around with those people, you don't want to make them your enemies.

The school you are describing will be well aware of what's happening, there's not a lot they can/ will do.

This is a 12 year old boy potentially caught up with some really dangerous people. County Lines involves serious exploitation of (usually already vulnerable) young people. They are often threatened, scared for their families, sexually and physically harmed. I do understand that you want to protect your child but I think it’s your duty to report this. Please don’t wait it out because he will be more embroiled as time goes on. Please don’t let his parents worry about him because there is a high chance that they’re not worrying about him.
I would recommend speaking to the safeguarding lead at school as a first step. As someone else said, there is a high chance that this family are already under social services and this may well be already known or suspected.

County Lines is really not the same as selling a bit of weed!

I think you need to put your son first here op. The suggestion of waiting a while to report is also an idea

If it's an inner city school with established gangs drug dealing and a "slight" gets out about your kid?

Yes I am for real.

Some kids and adults go violently nuts if you so much as look at them the wrong way, it's one thing flagging up harm to kids when you are the grass it's completely another when the it's your 12 year old who will take the rap, possibly. Not everyone can march into school tell a teacher something and that's it problem solved.

A12 year old has shown a video of himself with a bunch of weed and made a comment about a gang possibly, it could be something or nothing. It could open a can of worms you less ganged up 12 year old has no way of closing again.

Her 12 year old as asked her not to contact the school do they have no voice in this?

I understand your reticence OP. Of course in an ideal world you'd report it to the school, police would be involved and it would all stop.

In reality, the gangs running County Lines have all the power and although the school will probably report it, nothing will change. 😪

In my school your son would fetch son extra pastoral care after the report was made, the other children would be "supported" but it's rare any real change happens. I'd still report though.

Fetch? Get some extra pastoral care...

You can report to the police and social services anonymously and they are the key agencies for referrals like this, the school would get the information after this

YOu can report to the school

The information needs to be reported somewhere, you cant just sit on this

And although not all drugs use/dealing is county lines (people are obsessed with county lines on here), the child is at risk because he will be involved in exploitation in order to have been around the product.

Agree with this! Not saying you shouldn't do anything about it, but not sure why you're assuming it's county lines as there are plenty of low level weed dealers that have absolutely nothing to do with gangs or county lines.

Are there? Children selling weed that aren't involved in gangs? Where do they get it from?

I think I would respect your child’s wishes however I would speak to the teacher in that particular lesson and not be specific but ask for child to be discreetly moved away from this child for his own well being.

Would I fuck implicate my son.

Sorry but I'd be protecting my own here. If they find out it was him who grassed he would be targeted.

These replies are insane. Christ knows who this boy is in with and what they are capable of.

Absolutely crazy to involve your child.

Personally I'd be looking to get my kid out that school asap. He's already been hit in the face - and what did the school do about that? I wouldn't be putting mine at further risk for anyone. When he's out of there, then you can report this. The kids I know caught dealing have been kicked out of school understandably, so not necessarily helpful to the child in question either.

So if YOUR 12 year old boy was caught up in drugs and loads of people knew about it, and we're chatting amongst themselves and not a single person told anyone who could actually intervene and help... you'd be cool with that? You'd be cool with no-one being concerned about your boys well-being?

If the boy is stupid enough to brag about it in a classroom with 30 other kids, then he's bragged about it elsewhere.

Exactly this, this site is full of people talking about county lines all the time

He might be involved in that, he might not

Either way, OP needs to refer to the key agencies for risk and crime which is the police or social services. I also dont know why people's first response is to report to schools, they're not going to be able to to open a cp investigation or crime report and the information comes to them almosst instantly there is a CP referral in any case

How long before they coerce OPs son into selling the drugs?

If everyone is keeping it a secret and doing nothing, then OP 12 year old boy who is scared if retribution might be an easy target for coercion...

If nobody does anything, it will be OPs son in a county lines gang in a month or so...

You need to get him out of that school. If ends up with a broken jaw that causes lasting damage he will remember it's because of you. Not only that, all trust will be gone.

Get him out of that dump, then tell school.

Im going against everyone here but your sons safety should be the priority, if you say anything right away they will know it was him as there is history of it where you've went to the school before about similar issues. I would be wary of putting a target on his back and him never telling you anything ever again as you broke his trust of not talking and got him in trouble. In a few weeks I would maybe speak with someone at the school but carefully. Anyone telling you naively to go straight away have no idea what that kid could be capable of and how they will deal with him snitching. Yes it needs reporting but the repercussions will be high for your son if not done right. You also have no way of knowing if that video has been shown wider so people using that as reason isn't enough

I agrew with this.
It's all very well saying report anonymously but if OP's DS is the only one they have shown, it will be obvious it was him. I would give it a few days and tell ds to keep his ears open as this other child will show other children the video then report.

So you tell the school - who’s to say they don’t pull all the boys in and ask them about it, identifying your son as the ‘grass’ and putting him at risk? Nope, I’d not say anything. I’d move my son to another school as fast as I could though.

You report it to the school's safeguarding team, because they have the experience, training and knowledge of the child's situation. They will then alert the appropriate authorities, the concern will then be raised by the school, and not an individual.

The school might already be aware, they might need a another piece of the puzzle to help tip over to proper support. They might know nothing, and this is the key to what is going on with the kid in question, because they've noticed changes in his behaviour etc but can pin it down...

By doing nothing, OP is risking her own son being drawn into the drugs world and being used to sell.

Honestly? I'd just forget it. I know that's not a popular opinion but protecting my own son comes before I'd protect someone else's son and that's the reality.

How many of you saying report actually have to deal with these issues yourselves? Because when you live somewhere with a lot of crime and it's a daily reality, for your own safety you have to keep your nose out.

Can you tell me where I said to do nothing?

Its back to front to report to school first and foremost over and above social services and the police, they are the key statutory agencies for managing child protection and crime. The information gets passed on to school in any case.

The information from school (if OP reported to them first) would contain information about where the original information came from, parent of bob smith for example. You can report to police and social services anonymously if it makes OP feel more comfortable.

Obviously not.

But if my 12 year old boy took a stupid let's look gangsta video with a mate's older brothers weed to look cool, stupid I know, I also wouldn't want the school, social services and police swooping in either. Teenagers, kids, mess up.

To just jump to the conclusion that because he has made a video with a bit of weed that he is being exploited and the police need to be involved is also not a balanced reaction.

Kids fake stuff up, it could be dried parsley in the bags.