Summer Safety Alert

It’s summer and school has ended. Hopefully there will be family vacations, a break from the routine, and lots of fun in the sun.

However, kids being out of school can also present some safety concerns. The fact is, many of you parents still have to put in a full day of work. This probably means summer camps, baby sitters, and depending on the age of your child, unsupervised time and activities.

SafeU would like to remind you that 85% of women and children who are victimized are preyed upon by someone familiar to them -- not by strangers. This means a friend, neighbor, family member, teacher, preacher, caregivers. You get the picture? This statistic is so high because predators are getting unsupervised access with their prey.

Who has access to our kids? After you answer this question, just know that access does not equate to guilt, but it should equate to observation and heightened awareness on your part.

Let’s take the steps to make sure our kids don’t become part of the statistic.

Parents, be an investigator. Take time to know who your kids are friends with. This includes introducing yourself to the parents, finding out if your child’s friend has siblings, especially older ones. This helps to understand who might have access.

If your child is going to camp or day care, ask for credentials and find out if background checks done on the councilors or teachers. How many people will have access to your child throughout the day?

Take the names of the staff that will be involved with your child and check the sex offender registry web site. Then do a Google search, and also go to “My Space” to see if they have a page. Get as much information as you can to find out if this person is of good character or a potential bad influence, or even a predator.

Make the time to unexpectedly drop in and visit your child at the camp or activity they're in. While visiting, observe the other children and the interactions they have with the councilors/teachers, get a feel for the environment, and ask questions about activities. Send the message that you have an eye on things and are interested in what is going on. If you don’t already make it a habit to talk to your child about the day, get them to talk and don’t interrupt. If something is happening that is bad for your child, clues will come out in those talks.

Lastly, use the C.I.A.

Confidence: Means “with faith,” and faith means to trust. Every month we share information and knowledge -- trust it. If you need more detail, understanding or training, contact us.

Intuition: The gift of knowing. If you get that gut feeling something is wrong, it probably is. Don’t dismiss it and try to think it away.

Awareness: Make a conscious decision to pay attention, to observe what is going on in your and your child’s life. I know most of us lead busy lives, however, you must take time to just pay attention, and you might be surprised at what you see.