Don’t Take the Risk: Teach These 5 Critical Strategies That Can Prevent a Child From Going Missing

Every parent’s main concern is keeping their children safe. Understanding where to begin may take a lot of work with so many global threats. Teaching them to be their own first responders in situations is crucial. Kids will feel empowered and confident in the face of danger if they have the skills and information to take action.

Every year, thousands of children go missing in the United States, and hundreds of them are victims of predators. Sadly, some are sold into human trafficking, and the first 72 hours are critical for finding them. In these cases, time is of the essence.

Here are some strategies for teaching kids to be their own first responders:

1. Encourage open communication: One of the essential things parents can do is to engage their children in a relaxed and continuing conversation about safety. Encourage your children to come to you with any worries or concerns they may have, and make it evident that they may talk to you about anything without fear of being judged or punished. You can make your children feel more comfortable asking for help when they need it by encouraging open communication.
2. Practice situational awareness: The capacity to be aware of your surroundings and recognize potential risks is called situational awareness. Train your children always to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings. This might involve quick thinking, such as knowing where the exits are, paying attention to others’ conduct, and detecting possible threats in their surroundings.
3. Teach basic self-defence: While we never want our children to have to physically defend themselves, teaching them basic self-defence techniques can be beneficial in case they ever need to protect themselves. Try enrolling your child in a class or having them practice some basic skills at home.
4. Create a safety plan: Create a safety plan with your children for various circumstances, such as being lost in a public area or encountering a stranger. Your plan should contain specific safety measures, such as locating a police station or contacting one for assistance.
5. Use technology to your advantage: Technology may effectively aid in keeping children safe. For example, try utilizing a GPS monitoring gadget or smartphone app to track your child’s location and assist in locating them if they go missing.

In addition to these strategies, a child safety kit like “Be Your Child’s First Responder” can be a valuable resource.

With over 46,000 children reported missing in the USA alone each year, preparing for such a situation is essential. Be Your Child’s First Responder is a safety kit designed to help parents and guardians in emergencies. Kelly Ann Granell, an award-winning law enforcement officer, created the kit to assist in finding missing children quickly.

The kit serves both practical and personal purposes. On a practical level, it gives essential information on a missing kid, such as fingerprints, DNA, voice recordings, and precise physical descriptions if they go missing. On a more intimate level, it’s a lovely souvenir for children and teenagers, allowing parents to see their development while keeping them secure.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 460,000 children were reported missing in the United States in 2020, with the majority being runaways. While the number of kidnappings is relatively low, they still happen, and being prepared is critical. The FBI’s National Crime Information Center reported that there were 365,348 missing person records entered into their database in 2020, with 54% being juveniles.

These statistics may appear intimidating, but remember that having a strategy in place may make all the difference. Law enforcement can swiftly match DNA samples, fingerprints, and voice recordings to a discovered kid and reunite them with their family if they can gather them. The “Be Your Child’s First Responder” package may be an essential element of that strategy, giving families the tools they need to identify their missing kid swiftly.

Learn more about “Be Your Child’s First Responder” here!