Non-parental child abduction increased by 27% last year. And more than 100,000 kids in the UK will experience an attempted abduction by the age of 16.
The Stranger Danger approach doesn’t work. But we now have a real alternative to keeping children safe, it’s called CLEVER NEVER GOES. We urgently need your support to help create teaching resources for schools and parents, and to develop a national awareness campaign to spread the word.
To donate please visit our CAF secure donation page
or simply text CLEV33 £3 to 70070 to donate £3.
Have a look at some of the great work we are already doing.
Most things have evolved since the 70s, and yet the fundamental lesson we use to keep our children safe – ‘Stranger Danger’ – has not. Most strangers pose no threat to children, it’s not always strangers that try to harm children, and teaching ‘Stranger Danger’ creates a society full of fear and suspicion.
For more information, read our COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW of why Stranger Danger needs replacing.
We have created an empowering, yet clear-cut, new lesson for schools and parents that focuses on unsafe situations – not just strangers – it’s called CLEVER NEVER GOES.
It teaches children that they must never go anywhere with anyone, a stranger or a familiar face, unless plans have been made beforehand. It tells them that following the rules makes them clever, gives them the confidence to trust their instincts and teaches them how to react to unsafe situations.
CLEVER NEVER GOES is currently being tested in schools across the UK and is already getting a great response from teachers and the police.
To help teach the lesson we’ve created a mascot, CLEVER the robot. He features prominently throughout and embodies all the important messages we want children to remember.
CLEVER has lots of features that help him recognise when he is in a safe or unsafe situation, and functions that allow him to shout for help and run away when he’s really in trouble, and to tell a trusted adult.
By teaching children to listen to their own bodies in different situations, we are giving them the confidence to trust their instincts, a powerful tool as they grow older and gain independence. We are hoping to have finished the test phase by July 2017.
REGISTER YOUR SCHOOL (please scroll to the bottom of this page) to receive the CLEVER NEVER GOES school pack when it’s ready (you must be a member of staff, governor or other representative of the school to register).
To keep children safe from abduction we need to roll this new message out to all the parents and children in the UK. Considering that’s roughly 12 million children and about twice as many parents, the task is a daunting one.
We can’t do this without your help. We’re looking for donations to help refine, create and distribute teaching resources and develop an awareness raising campaign. Alternatively, we would love to hear from you if you’d like to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
In addition to the school lesson plan we have created a simplified pack for parents and carers to practise CLEVER NEVER GOES at home.
It teaches the golden rule in 3 easy steps and provides fun games to help children engage with and learn the lesson.
Why not print this out and start teaching your children today. And don’t forget, pass it on to other adults.
If you’d like to receive future news about CLEVER NEVER GOES, have any comments you’d like to share with us or you’d like to register your school to receive the school pack, please fill out the form below (Compulsory fields are marked with *).
The Clever Never Goes programme has received generous support from:
The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers
People’s Postcode Lottery