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Philosophy

All children should be safe and feel safe, with their families, carers, friends,

peers and strangers, at home, in their communities and beyond, all the time.

When I first started working on the Children's Guide book and researching for the Safe section, I asked my eldest son, then aged 12, if he felt safe, "yes", and what made him feel safe. After some thought he shrugged and said "I guess I just don't feel like I'm in

any danger." Now, at 16 years old I asked him the same question and again he gave it a moments' thought, shrugged and said "I don't think that there is anything threatening me."

I was glad then, and still am now, that he feels this way. As a parent I try to provide a safe environment for my family. We eat well, afford new clothes and have a nice home in a friendly neighbourhood. Our kids travel safely to and from school and childcare, neither bully nor are bullied and are taken care of during weekend sports and other outings and activities. On the whole, our basic needs are taken care of, we try and minimise risks wherever possible, and we feel safe in our personal environment and community.

Our kids may immediately recognise that they have food, shelter and clothing. They know they have to wear helmets cycling, shin guards at soccer and protection from the sun. They've had "stranger danger" talks and know to talk to us should anyone, familiar or a stranger, ever make inappropriate propositions.

But beyond what may be obvious to a child are all the little things we do to protect our children from harm. Our detergents and other poisons are in the top cupboard rather than under the sink and when the kids were toddlers we had safety latches on the lower cupboards which contained glass items and other possible hazards. We have locks on doors and windows, furniture in front of power points and security in place against potentially unsafe internet sites.

Children want to feel safe and I would like to think that all parents wanted to keep their children safe. Unfortunately, however, this is not always the case. Some may be at risk due to ignorance of potential hazards in their home and community environments, while others are at risk of  being harmed by the actual parents or carers themselves. This section deals with all these issues.

Numerous businesses and organisations have provided Children's Guide with their details and information to help minimise risks, offer advice and support for various safety issues. Some organisations provide a specific service, others may have a variety of services and several organisations may seem quite similar. Get in touch with them, ask questions, be honest so that you're comfortable in selecting the most suitable for you and your children.

Identify which issues you are facing now or may be facing in the future and which organisations can offer further advice and support to assist in alleviating the pressure of your situation.

Also have a look at some of the other issues outlined in this section and contact the relevant organisations to find out how to apply safeguards so that risks and hazards are minimised in your children’s environment.

Please make your children aware that the safety information in Children’s Guide is also for their use. The whole purpose of this information is to keep your children safe. Tell them how and when to use the 000 number particularly should a situation arise where you are unable to get to the phone.

Let your children know who your family’s emergency contacts are and that services such as the Kids Help Line are there specifically for them. Ensure that your emergency contacts are listed somewhere your children will remember and can easily access.

Our children are so precious.

Please, please, please, please,

KEEP THEM SAFE!

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