Child safety while shopping - The Safe Child Scheme

In today's large and busy shopping environments, it's all too easy for children to become lost. The Safe Child Scheme has been running for nearly ten years and by increasing public awareness of what to do when a child is lost, the scheme has dramatically reduced the time taken to reunite lost children with their families.

Most children who become separated from their families whilst out shopping are reunited with them very quickly and the chances of a child coming to harm during a separation are extremely remote. However, it is best to take every action to ensure that we prevent children getting lost in the first place and to teach them what to do in case it should happen.

ADVICE FOR PARENTS

To prevent your child from getting lost:
- Encourage your children to stay close to you in shops and to hold your hand or trolley.
- Use reins or wrist straps on young children in busy places.
- Don't leave children in unsupervised play areas.

To help find them quickly if they get lost:
- Teach your children to recite their names, address and telephone number
- Sew/write their name inside their clothing eg. jackets or jumpers
- Make sure your children know that store and shopping staff wear uniforms and name badges and teach them to go to an assistant if they do become lost (staff at checkouts are often the easiest to recognise).
- Make sure that your children can identify the SAFE CHILD "holding hands" logo as marking points to go to if they are lost.

If you do lose a child:
- Don't panic - go and tell the closest member of staff or enquire at the nearest toll.
- If in a shopping centre, ask at the checkouts of the nearest store.
- Listen carefully to any public address announcements.
- If in a shopping centre, alert the centre's security staff.
- Enquire at the nearest police station

ADVICE FOR CHILDREN

Please teach these simple instructions to your children, so they will know what to do if they become lost:

- STOP - stand still and LOOK around, but DO NOT run around.
- If you can see the person you are shopping with, go straight back to them and hold their hand.
- If you cannot see the person you are with, go straight to a checkout and tell the person working there that you are lost.
- You can also go to a point where you can see the SAFE CHILD picture (shown here).
- If you get lost in a shopping centre or street, go straight into the nearest shop and tell someone who is working on a checkout.
- DO NOT go up to anyone else.

The SAFE CHILD SCHEME is running across the country in conjunction with many high street retailers and shopping centres. By displaying the SAFE CHILD logo in stores across the country, it is hoped that children will come to recognise it and remember what to do should become lost.