In a world filled with risks, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and feel at a loss about keeping a child safe. However, most risks can be reduced through choices we make daily. In fact, managing risk is such a common part of our everyday lives that parents often don’t realize they're doing it.

Some basic instances of daily risk management to improve safety include:

• Making sure to look both ways to avoid being hit by a car when crossing the street
• Locking our doors to prevent a house invasion
• Wearing a seatbelt to help prevent serious injuries

These are protective factors that are used to reduce risk. Increasing the number of protective factors in a child's daily life increases his/her personal safety.

This Child Protection Plan is designed to help create a "big picture" view of your child's life. Once you have completed the Plan, you will be able to see where risk exists in your child’s life, and what protections (or protective factors) can be strengthened to increase your child’s personal safety.

Please click here for a demonstration.

To develop your child's protection plan, select your child's age group.

Adapted from Risk and Protective Factors for Missing Children by Jonathon Cloud Additional Sources: John Bancroft; Howard Barbaree; Linda Burnside; V. Cline, Sharon Cooper, M.D.; William Friedrich; Stanly Greenspan, M.D.; Jane Jacobs; Kenneth Lanning; Mel Levine, M.D.; William Marshall; Pamela Paul; Justin Richardson, M.D.; and Mark Schuster, M.D.; Sherry Shellenberger; Thomas Stuttaford, M.D.; B. Watson and S. Lefever Mary Sue Williams; 2005 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies