Practical guidance on keeping children safe in shops, parks, events, and other public places.
Public Places is the awareness and rules that help keep children safe in busy or unfamiliar settings such as shops, parks, and stations, where they could become separated or approached.
Public places such as shops, parks, beaches, and events present challenges for child safety, particularly with younger children who may wander or become separated. Simple planning and clear communication significantly reduce risks.
Children can become separated from parents in crowds, distracted by attractions, or approach hazards they do not recognise. Having a clear plan, practising what to do, and using age-appropriate independence builds confidence and safety.
In your child's behaviour
Agree on a meeting point
When visiting a public place, identify a clear, visible meeting point in case you become separated. Practise pointing it out so your child can find it independently.
Teach 'safe strangers'
Help your child identify who to approach for help if lost: a shop worker in uniform, a police officer, or a parent with children. Practise the conversation they would have.
Use identification for younger children
For young children at busy events, consider a wristband with your phone number. Ensure your child knows their full name and a parent's phone number by heart.
In immediate danger: call 999. For non-emergency police matters, call 101.
Concerned about a child but it's not an emergency? NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000. Childline for young people 0800 1111.
This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.
Myth: Strangers are the main danger to my child in public places
Fact: Child safety charities note that most strangers a child meets will help rather than harm them, and it is more often someone a child already knows who poses a risk — so it is more useful to teach a child who is safe to approach for help than to teach fear of every unfamiliar face.
Myth: Telling my child not to go off with strangers is enough to keep them safe
Fact: The Clever Never Goes approach used by UK child safety charities teaches children never to go anywhere with anyone, whether a stranger or someone familiar, unless it was agreed with a parent beforehand — because it is often a recognisable face, not a stranger, who asks a child to leave with them.
Myth: Writing my child's name somewhere visible, such as on a bag or water bottle, will help if they get lost
Fact: A visible name can backfire, since a stranger reading it aloud can seem to know your child and appear trustworthy. It is safer to keep any identification discreet and make sure your child knows a parent's phone number instead.
Stay within arm's reach in crowds and busy places, using a pushchair or a securely fitted sling rather than expecting a toddler to stay close unaided. Begin teaching your child their first name and a parent's first name, even before they can recite a full phone number.
Rehearse what to do if you become separated: stay in the same spot or head for the agreed meeting point, and approach a safe adult such as a police officer, uniformed staff member, or a parent with children, rather than searching for you alone.
Children at this age can usually hold onto the full plan: agree a meeting point before you arrive, and remind them that they should never go anywhere with anyone, whether familiar or not, unless it was arranged with you first.
Growing independence may mean short spells without direct supervision in places like shops or parks. Keep reinforcing that the rule about not going anywhere with anyone applies just as much to people they recognise, and make sure they know how to contact you and can call 999 in an emergency.
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