SAFE IN THEIR HANDS

Embargoed until12 November 2003

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SAFE IN THEIR HANDS – CITY CENTRE ADOPTS SCHEME TO PROTECT LOST CHILDREN

In the midst of the bustle of Christmas shopping season, it is inevitable that the occasional lost child will be spotted among the crowds, and somewhere in the vicinity there will be a distraught parent or guardian frantically searching for him.  Today,  a scheme is being launched in Cardiff which aims to reunite children lost in shopping centres with their parents as soon as possible and ensure that these distressing situations are remedied quickly, safely and effectively.

The Safe Child Scheme was devised by a Shrewsbury police officer, P C Chris Parsons, in 1993 following the horrific murder of the lost child Jamie Bulger.  P C Parsons gained an OBE for his work and the scheme is now implemented widely across the UK.  The scheme is now being overseen in Cardiff by the Cardiff City Centre Management Team in partnership with South Wales Police, Cardiff Council, Cardiff City Retail Partnership and the NSPCC.

All stores participating in the scheme will display the ‘holding hands’ logo at their shop entrance and their tills and will serve as a reminder to parents to impress on their children exactly what they should do should they become separated from them.  In addition, the logo will act as a guide to the lost child.  However, the logo is simply a guide – there are certain procedures which need to be followed to ensure the success of the scheme:

• Each store will nominate a key member of staff and a deputy who will be trained by the members of the Safe Child Partnership and this key person will familiarise all other members of staff with the procedures
• South Wales Polices’ Community Services Department will educate local school children about the scheme.  Each child will be shown the logo and leaflets will be distributed among the schools
• All participating stores will be required to register with the scheme and agree for the key staff member to receive ongoing training                        

The scheme procedure itself is a practical step-by-step one which ensures that:

• The child is made to feel comfortable with the member of the shop staff who approaches them
• Their relevant details are recorded and circulated by radionet to other stores in the city centre
• The police are informed
• The child is escorted to a safe place
• Contact is made with the parent or carer
• Child and parent are reunited after establishing the validity of their relationship

The same staff member remains as the child’s point of contact throughout the operation to avoid distress and under no circumstances will the child’s identity be revealed over any address system or radio.  All incidents will be recorded and all parents or carers will be required to complete a form relating to the incident.

City Centre Manager Paul Williams is delighted that Cardiff’s retailers have been so eager to participate in the scheme:

“We are committed to providing the safest and most secure shopping experience possible and the Safe Child Scheme helps us significantly in achieving this.

Even at this very busy time of year, our retailers have been more than willing to take a little time out to learn about the Safe Child Scheme. 

We hope that as few children as possible get lost in Cardiff this Christmas but, as some inevitably will, it’s good to know that everybody is coming together to ensure their safety”.

Further information: 

Please contact Lowri ap Robert at the Cardiff Initiative on 029 20347800 e mail   or Paul Williams on 029 20664678.