Child Safety is Everyone's Responsibility.

This term we will be starting to use the Office of the Children’s Guardian SAFE series books with the children.

The Office of the Children’s Guardian has developed the SAFE series – four children’s books containing personal safety messages for children under six. The books support children’s rights and promote the concept of children having a voice.

They help children identify the parts of their body that are private, help them understand their feelings and encourage them to think about five people they trust to help them if they feel cared, sad or upset

The books have four main themes: safe spaces, the undies rule, recognising your feelings and finding five people kids can turn to if they feel sad, scared or upset.

Sam the safe explorer looks at how children can recognise safe and unsafe spaces. It helps kids recognise how they feel in places, even familiar places, and especially ones where they’re scared or upset.

Andy learns the undies rule is a non-confrontational way of explaining to children how the parts of their bodies covered by their underwear are private. The book reinforces the rights of the child to say ‘no’.

Fiona finds her five heroes promotes the concept of kids having a support network of five people they can tur n to if they feel sad, scared or upset. It aims to undermine the use of secrecy that many abusers rely upon. It also helps children understand there are always people they can turn to for help.

Eve listens to her feelings teaches kids to recognise when they are feeling sad, scared or upset and shows them that it’s fine to communicate these feelings. The book helps children build confidence so that they have a voice and a sense of empowerment.

The SAFE series promotes that protecting children from harm is a shared responsibility and knowing what keeps them safe is important, but that children are not responsible for their own safety, because this is the responsibility of the adults that care for the child.