Top Tips for Parents

Prepare: Before choosing activities for our children we need to complete some background work. Questions around child protection, supervision ratios, qualifications of staff, reference checking and Garda checks on staff etc should be welcomed by all organisations.

Ensure children know what to do if they are approached by strangers. A child should never go off with anyone, even someone they know, without telling the parent/adult who is minding them.

Communicate with your children. Give Safety tips, what to do in an emergency, make sure they know if the pick up arrangements from school changes.

Listen: Always take time to listen to your children. Let them know they should never do anything that makes them feel uncomfortable and that it is ok to say NO.

Be Aware: Never leave young children unsupervised; know where your children are and who they are with and when they are due home. (Avoid the over use of child’s name on school bags, clothing etc as this may be used by offenders in order to engage a child and build their trust).

Appropriate Monitoring: Parents need to strike a balance between being overly protective and ensuring their child develops their own independence All children are different, so trust your instincts,  you know your child best and will make decisions based on this knowledge


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