There are a lot of resources out there that can help us keep all the children in our lives safe, and it can be difficult to sort through what is effective and what you should invest your time and money in. As someone who works in the field of child protection, here are some of my top recommendations. Share them widely! After all, it is an adult’s responsibility to keep kids safe!
The Best in Apps
Kula Empowered
Currently, there are no prevention efforts that equip the parent or caregiver of children aged three to eighteen with information and guidelines of how to talk to children about their personal safety. That is where the Kula Empowered app comes in. Created by Dr. Lauren Hodges, her goal was that by equipping parents with developmentally appropriate language, parents and caregivers will be able to engage in meaningful discussions with their child(ren) that will embolden and empower the child over their own body and thus limit the child’s vulnerability to victimization.
Through the app, parents and caregivers will receive monthly push notifications based on their child(s) age and will detail developmental milestones related to your child(ren), and information about social influence that may impact them as well as an activity and discussion prompt on how to engage your child about their personal safety in a developmentally appropriate way.
BARK
Bark allows parents to connect over 30 platforms so they can monitor text messages, emails, and social media activity for signs of harmful interactions and content on all their child’s devices. You can also manage screen time and block websites, and track locations, and they have their own phone you can purchase that has all of the parental controls already installed.
Their website and blog is also an amazing resource for parents to stay up to date on trends in online safety and how to have conversations with children and other adults about technology.
The best in books for adults
Body Safety for Young Children: Empowering… by King, Kimberly (amazon.com)
Yes, I happen to know the author, but I would still recommend this book time and again! Kimberly’s book is one that any parent or caregiver will come back to as their child continues to grow because protecting children and teaching them body safety is not a “one and done” conversation. It needs to be developmentally appropriate and the conversation will change as a child’s body changes. Her practical advice is spot on, non-threatening, and did I say practical.
Amazon.com: Sex-Wise Parent: The Parent’s Guide to Protecting Your Child, Strengthening Your Family, and Talking to Kids About Sex, Abuse, and Bullying eBook : Rosenzweig, Janet: Kindle Store
Having tough conversations is not easy, but they are necessary. We want our children to come to us for anything and in order to do that, we have to lay the foundation for establishing family values, increased communication active listening. These issues shouldn’t be taboo. We need to have open and honest conversations and Dr. Rosenzweig gives you the tools to do just that.
The best in books for kids
Where Hands Go: An… by Sanders Diggs, Krystaelynne (amazon.com)
Any book by Krystaelynne is amazing, but this is a great one to start with. The beautiful illustrations along with the power of “no” is an important lesson that every child needs to understand.
I Said No! A Kid-to-kid Guide to Keeping Private Parts Private: Kimberly King, Zach King, Sue Rama, Fran O’Grady, Sue Rama: 9781878076496: Amazon.com: Books
Kimberly has her book for adults but she started with this book for children (which was actually cited in a study as one of the best books for parents to use to teach children about body safety). This book goes beyond body safety though, it also covers bribes, threats, guilt, shame, and where-and who, to go for help.
The best training
Get Trained – Darkness to Light (d2l.org)
Darkness to Light offers training that specializes in the education and prevention of child sexual abuse, other forms of abuse, and mandated reporting.
Stewards of Children®, their flagship program, teaches adults how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Additional training is available that is designed to provide more in-depth information and skill development in topic areas addressed in Stewards of Children®, including but not limited to other forms of abuse, mandated reporting, and human trafficking.
