Guides and Brochures for Parents

Prevention and Education

Some parents hesitate to talk about personal safety with their child because they don’t want to frighten him or diminish his spontaneity. However, giving your child the knowledge and practical skills he needs to look after himself is as important as teaching him to read and write.

You will find in this section, some examples of What would you do if… scenarios that will help you teach your child how to develop the necessary skills in order to react wisely and safely if he ever finds himself in a potentially risky situation.

Examples of “What would you do if?” scenarios

Examples of ||What would you do if?|| scenarios
  • You are walking to the park and suddenly you feel really sick.
    What do you do?
  • You are playing with a friend and he suggests going to the mall because your favourite hockey player is there to sign autographs.
    What do you do?
  • Your soccer coach offers to drive you home after practice.
    What do you do?
  • Your next-door neighbour offers to pay you to mow her lawn.
    What do you do?
At the Shopping Centre
  • You are window-shopping in a sports store and when you turn around, you don’t see your mother anymore.
    What do you do?
  • Someone you have never seen before, approaches you at the mall and asks for your address and phone number because you have won a prize.
    What do you do?
  • You are in a video game store. Someone approaches you and tells you he has a very exciting game in his car and offers to give it to you if you follow him.
    What do you do?
  • You are at the mall and an elderly person asks for your help to choose a gift for her grandson.
    What do you do?
At School
  • You are walking back from school and someone in a car stops to ask you for directions.
    What do you do?
  • It is raining and you are waiting for your school bus. The mother of a student in your class offers to drive you home.
    What do you do?
  • Your father or mother is late picking you up at school.
    What do you do?
  • You are walking back from school and a neighbour invites you to his home in order to see his new puppy.
    What do you do?
  • You are walking back from school with a friend and he insists you take a shortcut through the park.
    What do you do?
  • You think someone is following you in the street.
    What do you do?
Home Alone
  • Your father or mother is in the shower and the phone rings.
    What do you do?
  • You are at your friend’s house and his sister, who is babysitting you, leaves with her friend and says she will be back soon.
    What do you do?
  • You are returning home from school and you realize that you have forgotten your key.
    What do you do?
  • Your parents will not be home for another thirty minutes. Your house is up for sale and someone that is interested in buying it is knocking at the door.
    What do you do?
  • You are home alone and you hear a very loud noise as if someone is trying to break in.
    What do you do?
  • You are home alone, and someone dressed as a plumber insists you let him in because he has an urgent repair to make.
    What do you do?
On the Internet
  • You are visiting an amusement park website and there is a form to complete in order to win a family trip.
    What do you do?
  • You are surfing the Net for a school project and a pop-up window showing inappropriate images appears.
    What do you do?
  • You are chatting online with someone on the Internet and she asks for your address in order to send you a birthday card.
    What do you do?
  • Your best friend asks you if you would accompany her as she wants to meet with a very cool friend she met online.
    What do you do?
Travelling
  • At the hotel, your parents ask you to go fill the ice bucket. Upon returning to your room, you realize that you cannot remember your room number.
    What do you do?
  • You are at the restaurant with your parents. On your way to the washroom, a waiter asks you to follow him because he has a surprise for you.
    What do you do?
  • While your parents are registering at the hotel, someone approaches you and asks for your help to carry his luggage.
    What do you do?
  • You are swimming in the ocean. When you return to shore, you don’t see your parents and realize that you are no longer where you were earlier.
    What do you do?

SHINE Brighter: For you and your child

Download our resource booklet:
SHINE Brighter: For you and your child

Together for Safety

The Missing Children’s Network designed a resource booklet for parents of young children from birth to adolescence. The booklets provide safety tips and advice that will help parents to ensure the personal of their children in their daily activities.

Download our resource booklets:
Together for Safety (0 – 6-year-old)
Together for Safety (6 – 12-year-old)
Together for Safety (12 – 17-year-old)

Teens runaways

The Missing Children’s Network offers a resource booklet for parents that provides them with possible solutions so that they will know what to do in the event their child runs away, where to obtain help and most importantly, how to deal with the child when he returns home.

Download: Teens runaway: Signs, Prevention and What to Do if They Run

Sexual exploitation

There is nothing more frightening for a parent to learn that their teen was exposed to the sex trade industry while on the run and may have been sexually exploited. Child sexual exploitation is a form of abuse in which youth are sexually exploited in exchange for money, shelter, power or status.

Young people can be targeted for recruitment and may be tricked into believing they’re in a loving, consensual relationship. They might be invited to parties and given drugs and alcohol. They may also be groomed online.

The Missing Children’s Network designed a booklet to assist parents, teachers, and others who are working to help prevent children and youth from being sexually exploited or to help them leave situations that are exploitative in nature.

Download: Sexual Exploitation of Teens

Siblings of missing children

The Missing Children’s Network designed a guidebook for siblings of missing children. When Your Other Half is Missing is a powerful tool that provides support and assistance to siblings who are living with the disappearance of a loved one.  With the participation of several siblings who shared poignant testimonials about their personal experience, the guidebook provides tips on how to celebrate the life of a loved ones and how we can honour a missing sibling.

Download: When Your Other Half is Missing

Parental Abductions

A parental abduction is the abduction of children by one of their parents or by a legal guardian. Often we think that this isn’t a very serious situation because the children’s lives are not in danger as they are with one of their parents. Why would any parent intentionally harm their own child? Unfortunately children in these situations may suffer very strong emotional and psychological trauma because they are suddenly uprooted from their everyday lives and activities.

The abduction can leave children with psychological scars that may affect them for the rest of their lives. This is why it is necessary to act quickly in this type of situation and take all the necessary precautions to prevent this type of abduction.

The Missing Children’s Network offers guidelines for families on how to prevent a parental abduction. This resource document describes actions parents can undertake if their child is the victim of a parental abduction and the steps to follow to allow for the safe return of their child.

Download: When the Abductor is the Parent 

Media

The Missing Children’s Network designed a booklet intended for parents of missing children.  When a child goes missing, the media can be a powerful ally and can be a source of tremendous help in recovering the missing child. The guidebook provides families with information on how and when to use the media, their rights, as well how to prepare for interviews.

Download: Guidelines on How to Work with the Media

IDENTIFICATION RECORDS

If your loved one goes missing immediately call 911. You do not need to wait 24 hours to report a missing person.

IS YOUR CHILD MISSING?

The grade 5 – 6 presentations were very well received by the parents.
Royal Charles School