Dear Family

As you may be aware the Child Assault Prevention Project are working with all the children in school this week.

CAP’s aim is to reduce children’s vulnerability to assault by decreasing fear around issues of safety and by building children’s confidence in an empowering and fun way.

This week we are working with your child’s class. Today we showed some short plays in order to look at ways children can keep Safe, Strong and Free around other children who are acting as bullies. The children came up with some strategies such as saying “No” and standing up for themselves, getting friends to support them and telling an adult they trust.

This week we will also discuss safe and unsafe touches, safe and unsafe secrets, keeping safe around strangers as well as keeping safe around adults they do know.

Follow Up Activities

It would be really helpful if you could follow up the CAP workshop at home with your child. Here are some suggestions that may help you do this:

  1. Review strategies for “keeping safe” (standing up for yourself, getting friends to help, and telling a trusted adult). Role-play or act out situations in which they can practise these skills. Focus on what children can do to stay safe.
  2. Talk to your child about their fears concerning their safety, positively and creatively, without ridiculing their feelings or denying reality. It is important to reassure children that not all strangers are bad people.
  3. Problem solve with your child about who would they go to for help if they were lost in a shop or other place.
  4. Talk about all the people who your child sees as trusted adults.
  5. Discuss children’s rights: the right not to be touched in ways they feel is uncomfortable: the right to say “No”: the right to get help: and the right to privacy.
  6. Let your child know that you believe in her/his ability to stay safe and that you want to be there to help.
  7. Make time to listen to and talk with your child on a regular basis. Let them know that their opinions are important.

If you were unable to come to our parent’s workshop and would like more information about the CAP Project visit our web site,