Keeping your child safe

Our top tips

• Name, address, number: as soon as children are able to understand, teach them their full name, address and telephone number. Practice these with them until you’re sure they can remember
• Keep in sight: in most situations, children under about eight years old shouldn’t be out alone, especially in busy towns. Even when out playing, they need to be kept in sight of an adult or a trustworthy older child
• Never leave alone: don’t leave young children in unsupervised play areas in shops or parks, or in a car or outside a shop, even for a few minutes
• Hold on: when you’re in a crowded place, hold hands or keep children in a buggy, or use reins. Don’t walk ahead of a toddler – it only takes a moment for them to wander off
• Start young: you can begin teaching children about safety when they’re as young as two or three. Tell them clearly they mustn’t go off with anyone, not even someone they know, without first asking you or the adult looking after them. With older children, make sure they remember to tell you who they are going out with, where they are going and when they’ll be back
• Practice: teach older children safe ways of crossing roads, going shopping and asking adults for directions. Let them practice with you until you are sure that they’ve understood. Always remember the limits of their age and maturity. Teaching them about safety needn’t mean being overprotective – let them gradually take more responsibility as their awareness develops
• Safe place: in busy public places, arrange somewhere safe to met in case you get separated, like an information desk. Make sure children know what to do if they ever get lost, and explain who is safest to ask for help – a police officer, shop assistant or someone with a young child
• Feel good: build your child’s self-esteem with lots of love, praise and attention. Bullies may tend to pick out less confident children or those who are neglected and often left alone
• Say no: let children know that they never have to do anything they don’t like with an adult or older child, even if it’s someone they know
• Listen: when your child is trying to tell you about things that worry them without interrupting so they can tell you their fears

Leaving your child home alone

Many parents will be familiar with the age-old dilemma of how and when to start giving children more independence. Some children are allowed to go to the local shops or walk to school from an early age, whilst others get to high school and have never had to do anything for themselves before. There is no right or wrong answer and, as all parents know, it depends on the child themselves.

• Remember that there is no legal age when a child can be left at home unsupervised, but there are laws around neglect. As a parent, you are legally responsible for your child, so make sure they are really ready before leaving them at home alone
• Moving to secondary school is a key age where children have to become more independent. At this age many children start to go to school under their own steam – whether it’s walking or a school bus. If this is the case for you, make the most out of the summer holidays and have a few practice runs with them so they feel more relaxed about going to school without the embarrassment of mum or dad anxiously watching them in front of friends and older children
• Think of it as an ongoing process so it feels less overwhelming. So for example, if they want to walk to the local shops for the first time on their own you may set a few ground rules, such as the first time they go with an older brother, sister or cousin, or that they have to come straight back. Ensure your child knows that by giving them responsibility and freedom they also have to keep to rules and know there are consequences
• Have on-going gentle conversations about stranger danger but don’t make your child frightened. Schools also tend to cover stranger danger but rehearse with your child what to do if a stranger approaches them
• The biggest risk to your child is road safety. Children can become easily distracted without you to prompt them about road safety. Keep reminding them to cross roads safely and be sensible
• If they want to play out with their friends, set ground rules including when you want them to come home. Parents say they get their child to agree where they will be, and if friends want to go somewhere else they should let them know and not just wander off
• If your child has started to play out unsupervised with friends it is worth making quiet times to talk about peer pressure. Help them think through how they would deal with a situation that made them uncomfortable, such as if someone was being bullied, or the group of friends started smoking or drinking alcohol or getting into trouble