Breaking Barriers and the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) have been named as finalists for the Partnership Award at this year’s National Children and Young People Awards in recognition of their joint work delivering Crossing the Line, a theatre in education programme tackling child criminal exploitation (CCE) in schools across the country.
The nomination reflects months of partnership to bring preventative education on county lines and grooming directly into schools, free of charge.
About Crossing the Line
Created by Breaking Barriers, Crossing the Line is a monologue and workshop programme designed for Year 5 and 6 pupils, an age identified as critical for early intervention, before exposure to exploitation risks increases.
At the heart of the programme is a 20-minute live monologue following a young person who has been groomed into criminal activity, told in a way that is honest, age-appropriate and emotionally resonant. The performance forms part of a wider package that includes a pre-session film, facilitated discussion and follow-up classroom activities, enabling schools to continue conversations around grooming, peer pressure and healthy relationships long after the session ends.
The spring 2026 tour has been funded by the NCLCC and delivered free of charge to schools, removing the financial barriers that too often prevent young people from accessing this kind of preventative education. We’ve delivered this work across Rochdale, Central Manchester, Wigan, Bury, Bolton, Stockport, Tameside, Oldham, Bradford, Heywood, Salford, Trafford, Comm North, East Lancashire, Yorkshire and Derbyshire.
The impact
Independent evaluation demonstrates a clear and significant impact on pupils’ understanding after a single session:
60% increase in awareness of grooming and its signs
33% increase in understanding of peer pressure
Since 2019, Crossing the Line has reached over 14,200 pupils and more than 220 schools across the country. The most recent tour visited Bradford, Leeds, Wakefield and Derby reaching over 1,300 young people across the spring term alone.
Parvez Qadir, Artistic Director at Breaking Barriers, said:
“We are so proud to be finalists for the Partnership Award at this year’s National Children and Young People Awards. We have been advocating for the use of theatre as a key tool for reaching young people and starting those difficult conversations for years and this recognition means a great deal.
“The main barrier will always be a financial one. Not every school has the budget to bring in external provisions to tackle these conversations, and that is where the NCLCC has been instrumental to our success and, most importantly, our reach. With financial backing, the barriers for young people to learn about gang grooming and exploitation are removed.
“Adam has been a great partner throughout the tour and we hope to continue expanding this partnership beyond Greater Manchester, Yorkshire and Derbyshire.”
Superintendent Dan Mitchell from the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC), said: “Education and prevention are vital to tackling the threat posed by exploitative County Lines drug networks. Breaking Barriers’ approach brings together powerful, engaging theatre with tailored support for educators and school safeguarding staff, followed by workshops that help children consolidate and apply their learning.
“The theatre production engages pupils in an age-appropriate way, without diluting the seriousness of the message, and the accompanying workshops and activity resources provide real depth and long-term value.
“The NCLCC is proud to support this initiative, and we look forward to hearing the feedback from the schools taking part.”
About the National Children and Young People Awards
The National Children and Young People Awards recognise outstanding work being done across the country to support and improve the lives of children and young people. The Partnership Award celebrates organisations working together to deliver meaningful, lasting impact.
The awards evening will take place on the 22nd of October at ICC Birmingham.
