If possible, the child should be the one to choose the trusted adults in their safety circle. These are people *they* trust. As a caregiver, you can help them think about who to add.
To start, review with your kid what makes a trusted adult. Then, think about all of the places when your child is not with you, like at school, soccer, piano, grandparents’ house, etc.
Have your child list the adults in those places, then talk about which of them are “trusted adults”. Now you have a list to work from! Have your child pick around 5 people to invite to their safety circle.
Their list might look something like:
Mom
Dad
Grandma
Teacher
Coach
Remember, at least two people should not be a part of the family!
Want more help? Here are some great resources!
From @parentingsafechildren:
This is a great brainstorming tool. It provides the different settings a child might be in, and has you list the adults in each of those settings. Then you map out your communication plan for speaking with these adults. Note: this is for creating your Prevention Team™, which should be ALL of the caregivers of a child. This is a broader group than your child’s safety circle.
From @consentparenting:
This is a FREE course for creating a safety network for your child. It includes a TON of information, including how to work with your child to select adults for their safety network.
From @advocatesforyouth 3 R’s sex education training.
A nice summary of what makes a trusted adult and then a worksheet for identifying adults in the trust circle around a child.
A fun worksheet to do with younger kids, identifying trusted adults using your fingers and thumb.