Make Children’s Safety A Priority – CPFSA

Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) is encouraging parents and guardians to make their children’s safety a priority as they navigate the new school year.

Team Leader for the CPFSA’s Child and Family Support Unit, Jean Duhaney, told JIS News that “one of the rights of the child is to be safe… to be protected from harm.”

She emphasised the importance of creating a network of support for them, involving the community, the home and school, adding that “we can’t care for our children alone.”

Providing some safety tips, Ms. Duhaney said parents and guardians should ensure that children are adequately supervised when they are at home, noting that these arrangements should not be ad hoc.

“Ensure that whoever comes into that space is somebody who is credible, somebody that can be held accountable for your child. The child must be given age-appropriate responsibilities because they must be a part of the discussion on how they take care of themselves,” she pointed out. Parents are also encouraged to guide their children on the safe use of their mobile phones while traversing the streets.

Ms. Duhaney said texting and talking on the phone may be distracting, as the child is usually not aware of his or her surroundings, making them vulnerable to unscrupulous persons who want to harm them.

Proper arrangements must also be put in place for children who are picked-up from school. The teacher must be given the name of the person who is scheduled to collect the child. Any changes should be communicated to both the child and teacher. For those children who take the bus or taxi, Ms. Duhaney advises parents, guardians, or someone who they designate to travel the route with the child, to assist and monitor how they cross the roads and manoeuver the public space.

“We want to raise street smart children in the kind of environment that we have today,” she said.

Ms. Duhaney added that suitable after school arrangements should also be put in place to ensure that children are not languishing on school compounds, with persons expecting the teachers to be there.

“Even if it is extra-curricular activities, make sure you know whose care your child is in. Take nothing for granted,” she noted. Ms. Duhaney also encourages parents to communicate with their children.

“Have conversations with the child, irrespective of the age… find out what their day was like at home, at school. If there is anything that you may have noticed, such as change in behaviour, encourage them to talk,” she urged.