Personal Safety: Children's Safety

Tips for parents to assist in ensuring the safety of your children:

• Ensure that you give your children's school or day care the names of persons to whom your child may be released and provide telephone numbers where you can be reached in an emergency.
  

• Remember what clothing your children are wearing in case they get lost. Write your children's names on the inside of their clothing where it cannot be seen as they are more likely to trust strangers who know their names.
  

• Keep up to date records of your children including recent photographs, their height, and weight, medical and dental histories and if possible, a video and fingerprint record.
  

• Interview potential babysitters and obtain references from other parents. Check if they have completed a babysitting course.
  

• Know the telephone numbers and addresses of your children's playmates and insist that they ask permission to visit friends.
  

• Accompany your children everywhere and never let them play or loiter in public places or near public washrooms.
  

• Talk to your children about safe places they can go for help such as a Block Parent Home, School, a store or a known neighbor.
  

• Go over situations or scenarios you feel your child may face to see how they do. You can use this a measure to see how much time you need to spend talking about safety.
  

• The Medicine Hat Police Service Community Safety Unit has safety pamphlets available and also provides safety lectures to people of all ages.

• Remember planning and prevention education is the key to safety in our community.

• For all emergencies - Call 9-1-1