Free Knife Crime Resources Guides & Workbooks For Teens

Designed to support safer choices and more reflective decision-making, the toolkit offers a structured set of knife crime intervention sessions for children, young people and teenagers who may be at risk of carrying a weapon or already involved in the youth justice system.

The contents include sessions on what counts as an offensive weapon, sentencing awareness, consequential thinking, negotiation skills, stop and search, knife surrender bins, knife crime and society, emotional reactions, red and green thoughts, assertiveness, the ripple effect, victim awareness through Liam’s Story, criminal exploitation, trauma and joint enterprise. The opening pages explain that sessions can be selected according to need and adapted for one-to-one work, group sessions, prevention programmes, youth offending work, school input or secure settings.

Most suited to Youth Offending Teams, youth workers, Early Help and social care staff, teachers, school safeguarding staff and practitioners in custodial or secure environments, it provides a practical framework for conversations that can otherwise be difficult to structure. Developed by BraveSpace in partnership with young people and staff from several London boroughs, with design input from young people involved with Wipers Youth project.

Arranged as a printable activity workbook, Knife-Crime-Workbook contains discussion-based exercises, risk scales, quizzes and scenario prompts focused on knife crime and serious violence. The opening pages include a contents list and activities such as “What are the risks?”, where young people place situations on a scale from low to very high risk.

Topics shown in the workbook include carrying a knife for protection, being threatened, looking after someone else’s knife, gang involvement, hate messages online, violent language, conflict resolution, behavioural risks, asking for help and real stories. The agree or disagree quiz is designed to encourage debate rather than simply test right or wrong answers.

Well suited to youth work sessions, school pastoral support, PSHE lessons, mentoring and targeted intervention work with teens, especially young people exploring peer influence, safety and decision-making. Produced by Developing Health and Independence, Project 28.

The early pages include a useful contacts list, with Crimestoppers, Safe Call, Kooth, NSPCC, Kent Police and other support services clearly set out for young people who need help or advice. The booklet then introduces a group of five friends and uses a relatable scenario to show how someone might notice a mate becoming withdrawn, bullied or frightened.

Content visible in the opening pages explains what an active bystander is and encourages safe intervention before problems escalate into knife carrying. It directly addresses concerns about “snaking” or “snitching” and frames speaking up as a way to protect a friend rather than betray them.

Well suited to secondary school staff, youth workers, peer educators and parents or carers supporting teenagers, it can be used to prompt discussion about knife crime, bullying, gang pressure, emotional wellbeing and where to get help. The pages also challenge exaggerated perceptions of knife carrying by sharing statistics and examples from Scotland’s public health approach to violence reduction.

Planning a short lesson after showing the No More Knives animation can be difficult without clear prompts, and No-More-Knives provides a 20 to 25 minute structure for discussing criminal exploitation, peer pressure, drug running and the consequences of carrying knives.

The PDF includes a film overview, age rating, running time, discussion questions, suggested answers and a true or false quiz covering knife possession, offensive weapons, joint responsibility, prison sentences and common myths about stabbing. It also gives clear signposting for emergencies, police concerns, anonymous reporting and speaking to trusted adults.

Best suited to classroom PSHE, youth work sessions, mentoring, safeguarding interventions and small group work with children or younger teenagers, it supports adults to talk about grooming and county lines without sensationalising the topic. The lesson plan is credited to Christina Gabbitas.

Presented as an illustrated young person’s guide, the PDF combines short explanations, comic-style scenarios and clear safety messages about being an active bystander when someone may be carrying a knife. Early pages explain the Scottish phrase “nae danger”, who the material is for, and how young people can intervene without putting themselves at risk.

The content covers the reality of knife carrying in Scotland, including common myths, the role of fear and social media, and reasons young people might start carrying weapons. It also looks directly at “grassing”, offering alternatives such as speaking to a friend, seeking help from a trusted adult, or using anonymous routes such as Crimestoppers and Fearless when there is a serious risk of violence.

Well suited to secondary school pupils, youth groups, peer education sessions and community safety work, it can support discussion with teenagers who may reject simple “just report it” messages. Teachers, youth workers and practitioners can use it to open conversations about friendship, risk, loyalty, knife crime prevention and what being a good friend can look like in real situations.

Organised as a single key stage 3 PSHE lesson, the plan includes learning objectives, intended outcomes, required resources, timings and step-by-step classroom activities. It covers baseline assessment through an overheard conversation prompt, a mind map on reasons young people may carry knives, short real-life story videos, a consequences card sort and an advice-giving task.

Teachers are given clear guidance on creating a safe learning climate, using anonymous questions, reinforcing ground rules and signposting support. The lesson explores physical, emotional, social and legal consequences, while also highlighting positive routes for young people to stay knife free through hobbies, ambitions, support networks and healthier friendships.

Best suited to PSHE teachers, safeguarding leads, pastoral staff and youth workers supporting children and young teens, it offers practical prompts for discussing knife crime without sensationalising it. Produced by the Home Office with the PSHE Association.

In secondary school PSHE or citizenship lessons, teachers can use this pack to follow up the 2 Smart roadshow with structured activities on drugs, knives, bullying and alcohol. The opening pages explain how to adapt the sessions, involve police officers or PCSOs where available, and handle disclosures sensitively when pupils may have personal experience of the issues.

Visible lesson material includes a drugs session with clear aims, a law summary covering Class A, B and C drugs, possession and supply, plus practical classroom tasks such as naming drugs and slang terms, sorting legal categories, weighing up pros and cons, and discussing real-life scenarios. It is particularly suited to Year 7 and early secondary teachers, PSHE leads, citizenship coordinators and school police liaison staff looking for printable lesson prompts after a safety roadshow.

Teachers and youth practitioners get a clear structure for opening a knife crime lesson with teenagers, using group discussion rather than a lecture format. The session is suitable for Year 8 upwards and focuses on existing knowledge, reasons young people may feel pressured to carry a knife, and the real consequences of knife harm.

The visible pages include a lesson overview, aims and objectives, learning outcomes, an introduction to the three-session programme, and Step 1 of the classroom activity. The worksheet asks pupils to consider why young people carry knives, what they know about knife crime, and the consequences of using a knife, with prompts around pressure, influence, risk, victims and the law.

Useful for PSHE lessons, youth group sessions, safeguarding work or early intervention discussions, the plan helps staff draw out what teens already know before moving into adolescent decision making and consequential thinking. Produced by The Training Effect for the Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit.

Use it as a structured PSHE, citizenship or safeguarding lesson for upper Key Stage 2 pupils, especially Year 5 and Year 6 children learning about knife crime, personal safety and asking trusted adults for help. The plan sets out a starter assessment, a class working agreement, discussion prompts, local data checking and a quiz-style activity linked to the film What’s the Law on Knife Crime?

The visible pages include teacher notes, learning objectives, outcomes, keywords, resources needed, website links and timed questions for pausing the video. Topics include carrying knives in school, homemade knives, pen knives, Scouts or Guide camp, arrest, custody, criminal records, prison, self-defence, filming fights, joint enterprise and whether telling an adult is snitching.

Well suited to primary teachers, PSHE leads, youth workers and safeguarding practitioners, it gives a careful framework for discussing a potentially emotive subject without glamorising risky behaviour. The lesson was produced in partnership with the National Justice Museum, with thanks to Kate Daniels and the Make Agency team.