Guidelines for Child Safety – Workshop conducted in April 2017
Empowering Children
● Build confidence and self-esteem in your child to help them take control of
challenging situations. Encourage them to take up new activities and build
independence.
● Inculcate good decision-making strategies in your child from an early age. This would
help them to understand circumstances better and trust their judgments when faced
with uncertainty.
● Build good support systems for your child and encourage open channels of
communication.
● Encourage your child to trust and follow their instincts about situations and people.
● Teach children their full name, address and important phone numbers as soon as
they are able to understand so that they would be able to provide information when
required. Practice with them till they are confident.
● Educate them on important emergency contact numbers as soon as they are able to
understand.
● Teach them about body safety, safe and unsafe touches and the “no secrets rule”.
Safety at Home
● As every child is unique, determine whether your child is capable of staying alone
and determine clear ground rules when they are being left alone. However, it is
recommended that children below 8 years of age should not be left alone
● Always be aware of your child’s whereabouts and make sure the child is supervised
by an adult or a responsible and mature older child when they are left to play outside.
● Provide your children with information to reach out to parents in case of emergencies
when alone at home.
● Monitor your child’s online activities and educate them on the risks they may face
online.
Safety in Public Places
● Do not walk far ahead of the child as children may wander off or get lost.
● Do not leave your child alone in the car or public places even for short period of time.
● Never personalise belongings of the child as this can help strangers identify the child
and build trust in them.
● Never leave young children alone in unsupervised play areas.
● Educate your child on safe strangers so they would know whom to approach when
they are lost or when they need help in public places. Help children identify sales
representatives in shops and malls so they can ask for assistance when lost. Play
what-if games with children to reinforce the skill of decision making. For example, ask
questions like “if you get lost in a mall, who would you approach?”
● Provide children with clear guidelines when visiting malls, public washrooms, parks
and beaches.
Counseling Department, Al Salam Private School.
Parenting Strategies – What can we do?
● Make it a priority to know your children’s friends and their families.
● Maintain access to your children’s room. Do not let children keep their room as a
private domain.
● Ensure all electronic devices are used under the supervision of parents and
implement parental control on devices.
● The website https://www.internetmatters.org/ educates parents on the risks children
face online and helps them to set parental control on devices and apps.
Child Safety Laws in U.A.E
● UAE Federal Law No. 3 of 2016 on children’s rights protect