The school holiday at the beginning of October may be brief, but it offers a very handy opportunity to make sure your children know how to be safe when they are not at school for an extended period of time.<\/p>\n
That was the advice from a private security company, who this week released tips and advice for parents and guardians who want to ensure the safety of their children.<\/p>
\u201cPersonal safety simply must be part of your child\u2019s education.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we can teach them how to be able to fend for themselves throughout the year, we don\u2019t have to start from scratch when a long end-of-year holiday arrives,\u201d said Theunis Kotze, ADT inland regional manager.<\/p>
The October school break, he said, could be used as a dry-run to test if your children know all the dos and don\u2019ts for personal safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt starts at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour children must know to always keep all entrances and gates closed and locked and that nobody is allowed to enter without permission from either parent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have a home security system installed teach them how to activate and deactivate it and how and when to use other security devices like panic buttons,\u201d Kotze said.<\/p>\n
He added that it is a good idea to have a list of emergency contact numbers available and that your children know who to contact if they need help.<\/p>\n
The telephone numbers for the local police station, your private security company, the emergency number for your neighbourhood watch, and possibly a trusted neighbour should definitely be on that list.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your child must leave the safety of your home for whatever reason, make sure they tell you where they are going and when they are expected to arrive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recommend testing any routes with your children ahead of time to make sure they don\u2019t inadvertently choose a road or area that is fraught with potential risks.<\/p>\n
\u201cTry and identify any \u2018safe spaces\u2019 (such as a trusted neighbour) along the route where your child could call for help in case they need it,\u201d said Kotze.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of starting these safety training sessions anew, it makes more sense to instil a sense of responsibility with your children that they follow throughout the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs much as we would love to look after our children 24\/7, there will come a time when they have to fend for themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to prepare and equip them.<\/p>\n
\u201cSafety must be a part of your child\u2019s education.\u201d<\/p>\n
Public spaces – such as shopping malls – are also an area for which your children should be prepared.<\/p>\n
\u201cTeach your children to memorise their name, surname, home address and contact details for one of their parents.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso make sure they know that if they do become separated from you, that they immediately look for mall security and give them the information they have memorised,\u201d Kotze said.<\/p>\n
He also recommended agreeing on a code word with children which would be used in a situation where someone else needs to fetch them from home or from a place they had been visiting.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis code word would be a sign that the person collecting them has genuinely been sent by a parent and could be trusted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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