We Can Keep Safe – protecting young children through education

We Can Keep Safe is a personal safety programme for three- to five-year-olds and their families and caregivers. We deliver this invaluable programme to over 1,400 Auckland children and their families and preschool centres each year. 

The programme teaches parents, caregivers and teachers how to create safe environments, how to support children so they’re less likely to be targeted for sexual abuse, and what to do if they suspect abuse, or a child discloses abuse. 

The five We Can Keep Safe children’s modules teach age-appropriate skills using drama, games, songs, role-playing, storytelling and puppetry. Children learn the following personal safety skills in a context of learning about general safety:

  • assertion about the ownership of their bodies
  • simple touching rules for private parts
  • distinguishing secrets and surprises
  • differentiating good feelings from not good or mixed feelings, and 
  • keeping telling until an adult listens if something is not okay. 

Positive benefits of the programme are wide-ranging, including an increase in children discussing their feelings more with their parents and being bullied less. The programme can also be helpful to respond to sexualised behaviour – it helps all the children and teachers to know what is okay and how to respond to a child’s sexualised behaviour.

A woman sitting and holding the puppet, Toby. Toby is used to help deliver prevention programmes in schools.

HELP keep the children in your care safe

The We Can Keep Safe programme is available to Auckland preschools, kindergartens, charities and community groups working with young children aged 3 to 5 years. 

Email us to enquire about organising the We Can Keep Safe programme for your preschool or community group.

Download your own copy of the We Can Keep Safe brochure or the programme evaluation form (please allow up to 2 minutes to download).

“We can’t sing the programme’s praises enough – it’s essential for our four-year olds every year. ” 

ECE Leader

FAQs

This is a common question, but the parent session shows how we teach skills to children in fun and age appropriate ways and how they too can communicate easily with their children about personal safety.

Please let us know you are interested.  Our facilitator will then be in touch to discuss the programme and arrange dates. HELP only runs the programme at preschools in the Auckland area. Please email or phone 0800 623 1700 or email for further information.

The programme teaches parents, caregivers and teachers how to create safe environments, how to support children so they’re less likely to be targeted for sexual abuse, and what to do if they suspect abuse or a child discloses abuse. It teaches children key skills including assertion about the ownership of their bodies, simple touching rules for private parts, differentiating good feelings from not good or mixed feelings, and the importance of continuing to tell until an adult listens if something is not okay.

We ask for donations towards the $2200 cost of the programme, but we can also provide some free of charge due to the generosity of other donors and funders.

The children’s sessions usually run over 5 weeks, with the parent session a week or two prior.

Parents or caregivers attend an evening session to learn about the programme and the skills that they need to keep children safe.  It is great if parents can attend the day-time sessions with the children, but the programme does include interactive homework to help parents catch-up and have the conversations directly with their child if they are unable to attend the sessions.

HELPful Information & Resources

Keeping children safe from sexual abuse 

Understand grooming for sexual abuse

Blending families – risks and resolutions