Personal Safety for Children – Part 1

This is a three part series on personal safety for children. It’s put out by Seattle Police Department’s Crime Prevention section.

Establishing a system of family rules about personal safety can be a good way to teach children to distinguish between safe and non-safe situations. Many families already have rules about bedtime, TV watching, chores, etc. By adopting rules about personal safety, parents can teach good habits through reinforcement and repetition without generating excessive fear. Part 1 is a set of suggestions for ‘inside rules’. Part 2 will be ‘outside rules’ and part 3 will be ‘bad guy rules’.

Inside Rules –

• Kids should know their complete home address, telephone number, including area code, and parents’ first and last names.
• If kids are old enough to answer the phone, they should know how to call police 9-1-1. Practice with receiver button taped down.
• Kids should be taught never to reveal any personal (their name, school, age, etc.) or family information over the phone unless permission has been given by parent.
• If kids are home alone and answer a phone call for the absent parent, they should say “She can’t come to the phone right now,” and take a message or tell the caller to try later. Don’t make excuses – they sound phony.
• It’s ok not to answer the phone, or to work out a code (ring twice, hang up and call again) so a parent can check on a child that is home alone.
• Kids are old enough to answer the door when they are old enough to check the identity of the person at the door WITHOUT opening it.
• Kids should help their parents make sure doors that should be locked are locked.