So what can you do to teach protective behaviours at home?

Remember that what we teach children must be age appropriate and match their level of understanding and maturity level. Give children small details and repeat safety messages.

Feelings

Teach children to name and trust their feelings and help them to express their feelings.

Early Warning Signs.

Notice when they have butterflies in their stomachs, or jelly legs, or they have a sore stomach or feel like running away.

Safety

Talk to your child about what feeling safe means and also when they feel unsafe.

Networks

Identify a number of trusted and reliable adults who can take action if there was a problem. They can be in their network.

Public and Private

Talk to your child about the difference between ‘public’ and ‘private.’

Assertiveness

Teach your child how to say no. Teach ‘No then Go and Tell’.

Problem solving

Teach your child to problem solve. Use What ifs? Ask “What if someone asked someone to do something that gave them their Early Warning Signs?”

Talk to your child about taking safe risks.

Safe and Unsafe secrets

Talks about secrets. Is it a surprise ? Remember there should never be any secrets about touch.

Family Safety Rules

Come up with some rules at home for your family about body safety.

 Handling a disclosure

When a child or young person discloses that he or she has been abused, the child or young person may be feeling scared, guilty, ashamed, angry, and powerless. A child or young person’s disclosure is a message that they want the abuse to stop.

You, in turn, may feel a sense of outrage, disgust, sadness, anger and sometimes disbelief.

It is important that you remain calm and in control of your feelings in order to reassure and support the child or young person.

If your child discloses something to you remember to:

Listen carefully to what the child or young person is saying.

Control your own expression of panic or shock.

Tell the child or young person that you believe him or her.

Reassure the child or young person that to disclose was the right thing to do.

Tell the child or young person that what happened was not their fault.

Acknowledge that it is hard to talk about such things and thank them for  telling you.

Make sure you talk to someone on your support network.

Contact Child & Youth Protection Services on the Voluntary Reporter’s Line