As part of our work in school to keep children safe, we teach Protective Behaviours.  This is a framework for personal safety which consists of 2 themes – ‘We all have the right to feel safe all the time’, and ‘We can all talk with someone about anything, even if it feels awful or small’. 

The first theme, ‘We all have the right to feel safe all the time’, comes hand in hand with the responsibility to not do anything which would leave other people feeling unsafe. We look at identifying when we feel unsafe by tuning into our ‘early warning signs’, those things which are different for all of us, such as butterflies in our tummy or wobbly knees that let us know that we don’t feel OK in that situation. Through the sessions we look in an age appropriate way at what we can do when we feel this way. That action might be to contact someone in our support ‘network’. 

Theme 2 ‘We can talk with someone about anything, even if it feels awful or small’ supports the idea of a support network. Throughout children’s work on Protective Behaviours in school, the idea of their ‘network’ is revisited. This is the concept of 5 people who they might call on if they have identified they are feeling unsafe or need to talk. We encourage children to choose people from a range of places. 

Within these themes, children are taught to

• Recognise safe and unsafe feelings
  Children learn to notice early warning signs in their bodies (sometimes called “early warning signs”) such as feeling worried, tight, or uncomfortable.

• Identify trusted people
  Children are supported to create a personal support network of adults they can turn to if they need help.

• Use assertive communication
  They practise saying “no”, “stop”, or “I don’t like that” in a confident and respectful way.

• Understand body privacy 
  Children are taught the correct terminology for naming body parts so everyone knows exactly what is being talked about. Children are taught body parts that are covered by underwear are private. 

• Develop resilience and confidence
  The approach helps children build self‑esteem, emotional literacy, and confidence in their own judgement.

Protective Behaviours equips children with lifelong skills to:

• Feel safer
• Trust their instincts
• Communicate openly
• Seek help when they need it

Rather than teaching children to fear danger, it empowers them to understand their rights, recognise their feelings, and know that help is always available.

A booklet for parents to support their knowledge of the Protective Behaviours programme can be found here.