OVER 800,000 CHILDREN TURN UP MISSING EVERY YEAR!!!
450,000 children run away each year
350,000 children are abducted each year by family members
More than 4,600 children are abducted every year by non-family members
ONE CHILD EVERY 40 SECONDS!!!!!!!!
Keep Your Child Safe!
IDENTIFICATION KIT
To keep your child safe make sure you have an identification/fingerprint kit from the moment they are born and update as often as possible, such as every six months or every year.
In a large envelope place the following items and secure in a safe place in the event your child is ever missing:
Picture/Photograph
A head-and-shoulders picture of your childs face, where all his/her facial features can be seen accurately. Try not to have any distractions in the background.
Description of Child
Name and or nickname
Sex
Height
Weight
Age
Eye Color
Hair Color
Glasses if any
Scars or identifying marks such as tattoos or piercing.
Video tape(s): Video tape your child speaking, walking, running, talking, etc. This will help for the police and others to identify the child if he/she is seen.
Fingerprints and DNA kits can be usually be found at your local police department or you can do a homemade one by simply use an ink pad that you may have available at home. Have he/she stick the entire face of their hand into the ink and do a whole hand print, so each finger can be identified. You can also do each finger individually. Also, make sure that the prints are not smeared. Getting too much ink on their hand can be a problem so be aware of that.
Write down as much medical information as possible along with names and contact information for his/her dentist and doctor.
Make a copy of as much as you can of the above and put in a memory stick, flash drive and/or CD.
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THE FOLLOWING:
Name, address, telephone numbers and how to use the telephone.
What to do in case of an emergency and how to reach you and or a neighbor or trusted adult they may call if they're scared or there's an emergency.
Which homes they may visit and discuss the boundaries of where they may and may not go in the neighborhood.
To stay away from pools, creeks, or any body of water without adult supervision
Keep the door locked and not to open the door or talk to anyone who comes to the door when they are home alone.
Curfew and check in with you if they are going to be late. If children are playing outside after dark, make sure they wear reflective clothing and stay close to home.
CHECK out camp and other summer programs before enrolling your children.
See if a background screening check is completed on the individuals working with the children. Make sure there will be adult supervision of your children at all times, and make sure you are made aware of all activities and field trips offered by the camp or program.
THINGS YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF:
Never leave your child by themselves in a vehicle.
Make sure your child knows never to speak to anyone they do not know, hitchhike or go with them anywhere. Make a code word if someone they don’t know is to pick them up in case of emergency. That person is to say the code immediately before trying to speak to them.
DON'T drop your children off at malls, movies, video arcades or parks. These are not safe places for children to be alone. Make certain a responsible adult supervises your younger children at all times when they are outside and away from home.
Attend any events your child is involved in and keep an eye on all adults and make sure they are behaving appropriately around all the children. If you see anyone suspicious let the person(s) in charge know of your suspicions.
Talk to your child often and if they don’t want to be around someone find out why and listen to their concerns.
If someone is giving them gifts or is too nice to them find out why.
Make sure they know that if someone makes them feel uncomfortable in any way in the way they speak to them or touch them, they should walk away, scream, kick or whatever they need to do to get away. They will not be punished in anyway for doing so.
If your child is changing his moods or attitude in any way speak to them and listen to them. If they don’t say what is wrong keep an eye on them and make sure they know they can tell you whatever they want when they are ready to.
Be sure to always be informed of who is taking care of your child. You can check them out in various online websites if needed. Check all their references and ask your child how he/she feels about them, before and after each time they see them. Drop in when least expected.
Make sure they don’t give out their name to anyone they don’t know and if someone uses their name and does not say the code word first, they should get away from them.
Always stay in control when speaking to your children. They need to be able to count on your stability emotionally.
Talk often to them about safety.
Make sure that even people they know can be harmful to their well being.
Teach them to not be polite if they feel they are in a threatening situation.
Make sure a trusted Adult always knows where they are and how to get in touch with them.
Explain to him/her that they should always have a trusted Adult that they can go to if they feel uncomfortable about someone or something.
