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Know everything you can about your children’s activities and their friends. Monitor children’s activities and participate with them. Don’t allow children to play alone in isolated areas.
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Teach your children about strangers and to be aware of unusual behaviour in people they know. Teach them to listen to their feelings and that it is okay to say NO if any adults (including family members) ask them to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable.
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Teach your children to refuse anything from strangers, including money, gifts, or rides. Know where new possessions come from.
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Teach your children how to safely answer the phone if they are at home alone. One idea is to say the adult in the home is ‘unavailable’ to come to the phone.
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Teach your children to keep a safe distance from strangers and not give strangers directions for help. Adults need to get help from other adults.
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Teach children to use the buddy system when walking home from school, sports activities, etc.
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Teach your children to check first with you before going anywhere. Children need to let parents know where they are going, how they will get there, who will be going along with them, and when they will return home.
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Develop a plan with your children in case they get lost. Don’t have them meet you in a carpark – inside the store, shopping centre etc are much safe meeting places. Teach them their phone number and area code.
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Do not place your children’s names on their clothing or on the outside of their possessions.
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Teach you children to say NO to anyone attempting to touch them on their private
parts.
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Teach your children about appropriate and inappropriate secrets and that some secrets have to be told if children and parents are to be kept safe.
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Establish rules to follow when your child uses the internet. Spend time on the internet with your children.
