| One of the greatest responsibilities of our society | | | | "latchkey children", then the parents must take steps |
| has to be the protection of our children. | | | | to ensure their children are safe when home alone |
| Unfortunately, as a social worker, I see this as being | | | | and when not supervised at home. Sadly, children are |
| one area where we fail. Our children are nor financially | | | | often alone at home even when the parents are at |
| productive so child protection measures - whether | | | | home as well. |
| they be child protection laws, resources to protect | | | | What can parents do? There are a number of things. |
| children or funding to help children in need of | | | | 1. Maintain a strong positive relationship with their |
| protection - are sadly lacking. The result is that we | | | | children. Have regular conversations about the child's |
| have a large segment of our youth who are children | | | | activities, school, homework, thoughts, fears, |
| at risk. These children grow up with unnecessary | | | | direction in life, goals, aspirations and so on. Show the |
| abuse and neglect. | | | | child she is important and loved. |
| Although there are several areas where children | | | | 2. Turn off the TV, computer, telephone, MP3 player |
| experience child abuse and neglect, this article will | | | | and Ipod at meal times and talk. |
| focus on only one. Because parents are so busy and | | | | 3. Learn as the children learn. Grow as a parent as |
| a family needs to have two or more jobs to survive, | | | | they grow as children. |
| children often are alone for extended periods of time. | | | | 4. Never be afraid to show emotion; never be |
| The companion has become the computer; the | | | | reluctant to show love. |
| friends are known or unknown subscribers to | | | | 5. Always be willing to admit being wrong and always |
| Facebook, MSN, Twitter or other latest social | | | | be willing to say "I am sorry". |
| gathering pages; the mentors and counselors are | | | | 6. Always be willing to say, "I don't know the answer |
| names, who are often strangers, on these social | | | | to that but I will find out". |
| sites. It is easy for the subscribers to these pages to | | | | 7. Know where your children are at all times. |
| fabricate their identity; it is easy to pretend to be | | | | 8. Hold age appropriate discussions with your children |
| somebody you're not; it is easy to be understanding, | | | | about the dangers of the internet. |
| caring and sympathetic when sitting at a keyboard. | | | | 9. Limit computer time and ensure homework and |
| It's easy for a vulnerable child to believe that the | | | | chores are satisfactorily completed before computer |
| person on the other end of the conversation is a | | | | time is allowed. |
| friend who will listen. The computer, the internet, and | | | | 10. Make sure your computer's software filters out as |
| these social sites become an easy tool to lure | | | | much pornography as possible. |
| unsuspecting needy children into a child abuse | | | | 11. Monitor what is happening on the computer - |
| situation. The child is isolated; the family becomes | | | | what sites are being visited, the types of |
| replaced and the child becomes at risk. Many of | | | | conversations and e-mails and who the "internet |
| these situations have been high profile news items | | | | friends" are. |
| across North America over the years. | | | | 12. If you cannot monitor your child's computer |
| This is an area where official child protection | | | | activity, install a software program that will. |
| measures only come into play after the fact. So | | | | It is better to know what is happening and be able |
| parents need to take responsibility for the protection | | | | to stop it than it is to punish yourself for not doing |
| and safety of their children. | | | | so as the police are searching for your child. |
| If work requires parents to allow their children to be | | | | |