Print

E-mail

Text

When her children were ready to have their first summer jobs, Melodie Bissell, parent and president of Winning Kids Inc., gave them some pointers to stay safe on the job.

It's not about being paranoid or an overprotective parent, she said, it's about being a responsible parent and protecting your kids in the best way possible.

These are a few tips to help protect your child from abuse or being falsely accused of abusing someone else.

* Don't be alone or one on one with children, instead teens should work in teams and do things with buddies. This way, if any accusation were to arise there will always be a witness to say a teen was never alone with that child for that to possibly have occurred. Likewise, if there was a potential predator in your child's presence, having another staff member there may help to protect them.

* Is there any place that is closed off where visibility is compromised? If so, avoid those places and being with children where others can't see you at all times.

* When going to the bathroom, tell your child to keep the door ajar and try to go in pairs.

* Employees should never go alone into the stall with any child. Woman should take girls and men should take boys.

* Parents and teens should ask to look at the staff handbook to see what a company's policies and procedures are. If the staff policy manual doesn't adequately cover issues, advise your teen not to work there or do not send your child to that program.

The following are questions parents should ask of their teen's potential employer:

* What recruitment and screening process do you put staff through?

* What policies are in place to protect my child? Will they be distributed to the staff?

* What is the protocol if there is a suspicion of abuse or if an accusation arises?

* What training is given to bring awareness of the policies and procedures?

* At what point will I be contacted if there is suspicion of abuse or if an accusation is reported?

Visit www.winningkidsinc.ca for details and tips on safety procedures for your kids.

Winning Kids Inc. raises awareness of the global exploitation of children with a portion of proceeds directed to prevention and healing among the child sex trade.