Childrens Perception of Safety

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Childrens Perception of Safety

• Colin Morris

Jenny McWhirter
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Researching safety with young children

• Draw and write starts where children are, not
  where experts are
• Is an illuminative approach to childrens
  understanding of abstract and difficult concepts
• Useful with all age groups
• Provides both quantitative and qualitative data

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A brief history of draw and write

• Devised in 1986 as part of a curriculum
  development project about health for children
  aged 4-11 years.
• 10,000 participants aged 4-8 years were in danger
  of being ignored because they could not use
  questionnaires
• Adults acted as scribes for children who could
  not (or preferred not to) write.

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A picture of health.

• Draw a picture of a healthy person
• What makes them healthy and keeps them healthy?

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Principles

• Practical
• Booking time and space
• Resources
• Research Issues
• Reliability
• Analysis of writing not drawing
• Ethical Issues
• Parental permission
• Child protection
• Data protection

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Now its your turn !
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Keeping safe

• Draw yourself indoors (or outdoors) keeping
  yourself safe.
• What are you keeping safe from ?
• How are you keeping yourself safe ?
• Whose job is it to keep you safe wherever you are
  ?

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Perceptions Of Safety (4-5 Yrs)

• What are they keeping safe from?
• - 27 Imaginary fears e.g. witches or monsters
• - 22 Cars, traffic, road
• - 17 Objects to hurt cookers
• - 11 Bad men
• - 5 Stairs
• 5 Burglars, robbers5
• 5 Big boys, bullies

How? - Run away and hide - Stay with mum - Watch
TV - Dont touch - Stay in
Who is responsible? - Parent or other
adult 100 - Self 0 0
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Perceptions of Risk

• Pupils on Schools Council aged 8,9,10,11 and 15
  years
• Small and unrepresentative sample
• Activities bathroom (1), transport (5), school
  (1),building site (1), deep river (1), cliff (1)
• Younger pupils lack of awareness
• Older Pupils mixed perceptions, some knowing
  the risk but others unaware

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Perceptions of Risk

• Many of the children could give positive advice
  or simple commands to stay safe.
• Simple, direct solutions chosen e.g.
• Get out of the road !
• Not getting caught was viewed more highly than
  the ethics involved e.g. graffiti.

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Further research welcomed

• Please send any data you collect to
• cmorris_at_rospa.com
• For further information contact Jenny at
• jmcwhirter_at_rospa.com or
• cmorris_at_rospa.com