Hollyoaks will be revealing a new hard-hitting storyline about safeguarding and the abuse of power in schools.
It will see a grieving Dee-Dee (Chloe Atkinson) grow close to her Hollyoaks High teacher, Abigail (Brooke Vincent), unaware of the legal boundaries between adults in positions of authority and trust and young people.
Over the next few months, Abigail will pursue a ‘friendship’ with Dee Dee and will push to strengthen their bond when the school term starts in September.
Vulnerable after the loss of her mother, Dee Dee, in turn will form an attachment to Abigail.
READ MORE – Hollyoaks to tackle tricky issue of child-to-parent abuse
The Hollyoaks team has worked with charities TDI (The Derwent Initiative) as well as the NSPCC “to ensure this subject is handled with the utmost care and accuracy.”
TDI aims to prevent sexual offending by raising awareness and consulting with venues that could facilitate it through their Leisurewatch scheme which trains public spaces, like hotels and leisure centres to spot when abuse could be happening within their precincts.
The storyline has been written to raise awareness and questions about safeguarding, grooming, the importance of understanding abuse of power, and to encourage transparency with established friends and family members about new friendships.
According to the TDI charity, cases like this are common but frequently unreported, due to a lack of understanding about abuse of power, criminality and safeguarding.
“Young people, particularly teenagers, are at a pivotal age where making good choices is hard, while wanting to be independent,” said a spokesperson.
“The Hollyoaks storyline will highlight that in order to do that, any ‘secret’ friendship or relationships should be questioned.
“Think about why someone would ask you to keep a healthy friendship a secret? Speak to a friend, or family member or anonymous helplines are available.”
The Lime Pictures soap has never shied away from taking on major issues, having previously worked with the Home Office on its Enough Campaign and a child criminal exploitation plot, which was supported by The Children’s Society.
