Much informal child care is done by teenagers, family members and family friends...
It's estimated that around half of sexual abuse of children is done by (male and female) teenagers, and some will offend while babysitting. There are some things you can do to ensure babysitting is as safe as possible:
• Ask for references from your babysitter. If they have cared for another child before, check in with that family and ask if they had any concerns.
• Spend some time watching the person interacting with your child before you leave. Keep an eye out for unsafe behaviour.
• After the event, ask your child how they felt being cared for by that person and listen to what they tell you.
• Make it clear that babysitters (especially teens) should not bring other people into the house while they are caring for your child. Allowing a babysitter to bring other people into the house increases the risk.
• If your new partner has offered to babysit, watch out for any signs of unsafe behaviour such as wanting to spend more time with your children than with you. There are some sexual offenders who target women with children as potential partners to get access to the children.
• Let the babysitter/ family member know your touching rules (you can point them to the touching rules on the fridge) and that you expect that they will stay with the child/ren and not leave them with anyone you are not familiar or comfortable with.
• Let the babysitter know that the mobile phones with cameras/ smart phones/ computers/ iPods/ tablets etc. are not to be used (by them) while you are out unless in an emergency. Some offenders use online technology to access sexual material or to put pictures of children on the internet.
This Tip Sheet has been compiled using the following sources:
We Can Keep Safe (Auckland Sexual Abuse Help 2011)
http://helpauckland.org.nz/minimizing-risks , www.stopitnow.org/parent_questions_camp_safety
• Ask for references from your babysitter. If they have cared for another child before, check in with that family and ask if they had any concerns.
• Spend some time watching the person interacting with your child before you leave. Keep an eye out for unsafe behaviour.
• After the event, ask your child how they felt being cared for by that person and listen to what they tell you.
• Make it clear that babysitters (especially teens) should not bring other people into the house while they are caring for your child. Allowing a babysitter to bring other people into the house increases the risk.
• If your new partner has offered to babysit, watch out for any signs of unsafe behaviour such as wanting to spend more time with your children than with you. There are some sexual offenders who target women with children as potential partners to get access to the children.
• Let the babysitter/ family member know your touching rules (you can point them to the touching rules on the fridge) and that you expect that they will stay with the child/ren and not leave them with anyone you are not familiar or comfortable with.
• Let the babysitter know that the mobile phones with cameras/ smart phones/ computers/ iPods/ tablets etc. are not to be used (by them) while you are out unless in an emergency. Some offenders use online technology to access sexual material or to put pictures of children on the internet.
This Tip Sheet has been compiled using the following sources:
We Can Keep Safe (Auckland Sexual Abuse Help 2011)
http://helpauckland.org.nz/minimizing-risks , www.stopitnow.org/parent_questions_camp_safety
