Red Flag Awareness is a highly commended, youth-led campaign founded by four Year 12 students to raise awareness of domestic abuse and promote healthy relationships. The initiative from Biddenham Sixth Form earned a “Highly Commended” distinction at the National Crimebeat Awards 2026.
National data from the charity Refuge revealed 40% of teenagers experience violent or controlling behaviour within a relationship. Yet, when the student founders did independent research and spoke with a local women’s charity, they uncovered an alarming systemic failure, there were no local domestic abuse support provisions tailored for the 12–19 age bracket.
Adolescents trapped in unhealthy relationships had nowhere to turn, and warning signs, also known as “red flags,” were frequently missed or misunderstood by peers.
Recognising that teenagers are far more likely to listen to their peers, the students designed an inclusive campaign across all sexualities, focusing on identifying toxic traits and promoting health relationship boundaries.
Interventions and Activities
What began as a classroom project quickly scaled into a high-profile advocacy campaign. Displaying maturity well beyond their years, the student team independently secured backing from major civic leaders, including the local Police and Crime Commissioner, the Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, and Mohammad Yasin MP.
The team attacked the issue using a combination of digital outreach and school-based education:
- Designing and delivering presentations to Years 9, 10, and 11, receiving widespread praise from the school’s Safeguarding Lead.
- Launching daily educational videos on TikTok and Instagram, breaking down complex topics like coercive control and psychological manipulation into accessible content.
- Hosting a fundraising bake sale for the Bedford Women’s Centre that drew over 250 students. Ingeniously, they attached relationship fact cards to every baked good sold, turning a standard school fundraiser into a targeted awareness drive.
By the start of 2026, the data proved that the students had struck a major chord with their community, with over 55,000 views across their TikTok and Instagram. They were also invited to sit as youth representatives on Bedford Borough Council’s 5-Year Domestic Abuse Strategy. The Bedford Women’s Centre was also so impressed by the campaign, they offered the students free, professional specialist training to help them deepen their impact.
To guarantee the project’s long-term sustainability, they are working to register Red Flag Awareness as an official charity or Community Interest Company (CIC). Furthermore, having identified a massive local void in support for male victims, they are collaborating directly with their local MP to build safe physical drop-in spaces where young men can safely access relationship guidance and support without judgment.
