ON the Daniel Morcombe Foundation’s national day of action, Day for Daniel (27 October), officers from Queensland Police Service walked alongside parents, carers, educators and children to promote child safety awareness.
Personal safety is teaching kids to trust themselves, to know when they’re feeling uncomfortable or scared.
Often a child can’t express themselves with words when they’re feeling upset, and this means body clues are important for a child to recognise when they’re scared or uncomfortable.
Crying, sweaty palms, heart pounding, hair standing on end, wobbly knees and a funny tummy are all ways the body has of telling us when we’re not in a good place.
“It is important that our children recognise these signs, so they know if they are in an unsafe situation or with an unsafe person,” A Queensland Police spokesperson said.
“If a child does feel unsafe, it’s important they know what they can do.
“They can scream, run, say NO! and tell someone – practice these with your children, make sure they know it’s never rude to say NO! To scream, to run away if they are feeling afraid.”
A child’s safety network is also a key part of keeping them safe and is made up of adults who the child can trust, who will believe them and who can help them.
A few examples could be mum and dad, a grandparent, an aunt, teacher or a family friend.
This is the safety network and every child should have at least five adults whom they can trust.
“In honour of Day for Daniel, take some time to talk with your children, talk about body cues, formulate a safety network with them, practice a loud NO!,” the spokesperson said.
“Children need to feel confident that they can talk about things that have upset them, make sure they know they can trust you to believe them and make sure they know they can talk to you about anything.”
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