January was recognised as School Safety Awareness Month in South Africa, and with safety being an ever-growing and all-year concern for parents, headmaster Frank Rumboll shared tips on child safety awareness in 2023.
According to The Ridge School headmaster, Rumboll, there is no better time to remind your child about the importance of their safety and to evaluate your child’s environment for fostering a sense of safety.
“In 2023, safety awareness will be more critical than ever for children, and while all efforts need to be made to ensure a child’s safety, what is key today is awareness, and the responsibility for awareness lies with parents and it lives at schools.”
He continues to say that the importance of feeling safe cannot be overstated for a child’s growth and development.
“A lack of safety, bullying concerns, and low teacher expectations can negatively impact learning.” Conversely, when a child feels safe and learns in a positive, secure environment, they are more motivated and willing to explore new ideas.
Rumboll emphasises the importance of open communication, healthy relationships, and building courage in children for their overall safety as he shares some of his tips.
- Foster open communication with children: Parents should talk to their children as much as possible and listen to them whenever they can, especially when they have something to say.
- Encourage confidence and courage in children: An actualised, courageous, confident child who is not fearful has the highest chance of being safe. For families, and for schools, this mission of helping to build these characteristics in a child should be at the heart of everything we do as parents and teachers.
- Stay informed about online safety and set up child protection measures on devices: For parents to keep informed of trends and happenings in the digital space and ensuring child protection measures on devices can go a long way to helping create a safe environment for your child.
- Incorporate safety awareness into the curriculum: Schools should incorporate safety awareness into the curriculum, be it by intentionally inserting things into the curriculum that address the safety of children, or by talking about it openly and helping children (especially younger children) to understand what safety means.
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