ChATs teach district parents children’s safey
The Hatboro-Horsham School District is moving to further safeguard its children by reaching out to parents in a forum titled “How to Protect Our Kids.”
The district hosted the safety forum that was organized by the Horsham Police Department’s Chief’s Advisory Teams (ChATs). ChATs is made up of community volunteers that have worked toward making Horsham a better place to live in the realm of public safety since 2001.
In the past, the advisory team organized town watches, worked with fire victims, partnered with the Red Cross and organized park cleanups.
For the child safety session, the advisory team partnered with the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office in addition to Hatboro-Horsham School District guidance staff to present the program.
About 50 parents, grandparents and guardians attended the forum focused on identifying and avoiding potential child predators. The event was held the evening of Sept. 3 at Keith Valley Middle School in Horsham.
Director of community police services for the Horsham Police Department Gary Bissig heads the advisory team, which is partnered with the police department.
Bissig said the team’s goal for the safety session was to help parents find ways to educate their kids on personal safety without instilling a sense of fear.
“One of the challenges we hear from parents is how do they talk to their children, and how do they keep their children safe when they are out and about on their own,” Bissig said.
Bissig hoped the session inspired parents to proactively talk to their children about what to do in the event of a stranger interaction.
“We don’t want children to be fearful; we want children to be empowered. And parents are the first, last and best line of defense,” Bissig said.
Montgomery County district attorney’s office representatives spoke to parents about real-life cases of children avoiding dangerous situations and school counselors focused on ways for parents to communicate with their kids about safety. Dr. Andrew Osborne, guidance counselor at Hatboro-Horsham’s Keith Valley Middle School and certified school psychologist, spoke to parents at the session about talking to children about their safety and the danger of strangers from a mental health standpoint.
Throughout the session, Osborne quizzed parents on best parenting practices through a PowerPoint presentation and focused on parent communication with young children and teenagers.
Osborne’s advice for parents is to let their children know they can talk about anything together, have a plan of action in case the parent and child are separated, and monitor where children young and old are going at all times. Osborne also encouraged parents to discuss what to do if a stranger approaches their child in the absence of a parent.
“It may be uncomfortable to talk about with a child from a parent’s standpoint, but it is necessary,” he said.
In terms of teens, Osborne said teens should notify parents of what friends they are with and disclose where they are going, and instructed parents to let their teens know that if they are uncomfortable in a situation they should call for help.
Osborne was pleased with the evening’s proactive message and felt that he reinforced the existing parenting skills of the majority of the parents present.
“I don’t know that we’ve necessarily changed their parenting practices, but we’ve certainly validated what some parents are already doing. If they are already doing these things, then we are already winning,” Osborne said.
For more information, visit the Web site at www.horshamchats.com.
The district hosted the safety forum that was organized by the Horsham Police Department’s Chief’s Advisory Teams (ChATs). ChATs is made up of community volunteers that have worked toward making Horsham a better place to live in the realm of public safety since 2001.
In the past, the advisory team organized town watches, worked with fire victims, partnered with the Red Cross and organized park cleanups.
For the child safety session, the advisory team partnered with the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office in addition to Hatboro-Horsham School District guidance staff to present the program.
About 50 parents, grandparents and guardians attended the forum focused on identifying and avoiding potential child predators. The event was held the evening of Sept. 3 at Keith Valley Middle School in Horsham.
Director of community police services for the Horsham Police Department Gary Bissig heads the advisory team, which is partnered with the police department.
Bissig said the team’s goal for the safety session was to help parents find ways to educate their kids on personal safety without instilling a sense of fear.
“One of the challenges we hear from parents is how do they talk to their children, and how do they keep their children safe when they are out and about on their own,” Bissig said.
Bissig hoped the session inspired parents to proactively talk to their children about what to do in the event of a stranger interaction.
“We don’t want children to be fearful; we want children to be empowered. And parents are the first, last and best line of defense,” Bissig said.
Montgomery County district attorney’s office representatives spoke to parents about real-life cases of children avoiding dangerous situations and school counselors focused on ways for parents to communicate with their kids about safety. Dr. Andrew Osborne, guidance counselor at Hatboro-Horsham’s Keith Valley Middle School and certified school psychologist, spoke to parents at the session about talking to children about their safety and the danger of strangers from a mental health standpoint.
Throughout the session, Osborne quizzed parents on best parenting practices through a PowerPoint presentation and focused on parent communication with young children and teenagers.
Osborne’s advice for parents is to let their children know they can talk about anything together, have a plan of action in case the parent and child are separated, and monitor where children young and old are going at all times. Osborne also encouraged parents to discuss what to do if a stranger approaches their child in the absence of a parent.
“It may be uncomfortable to talk about with a child from a parent’s standpoint, but it is necessary,” he said.
In terms of teens, Osborne said teens should notify parents of what friends they are with and disclose where they are going, and instructed parents to let their teens know that if they are uncomfortable in a situation they should call for help.
Osborne was pleased with the evening’s proactive message and felt that he reinforced the existing parenting skills of the majority of the parents present.
“I don’t know that we’ve necessarily changed their parenting practices, but we’ve certainly validated what some parents are already doing. If they are already doing these things, then we are already winning,” Osborne said.
For more information, visit the Web site at www.horshamchats.com.
