‘Stay Safe’ not taught in 26% of schools

ONE in four children are still not

The revelations come as gardaí close in on the man suspected of trying to lure friends Kelly Mullen, nine, and Ciara Brady, 10, into his car in Dundalk on Wednesday.

It is understood officers know the identity of the man and are trying to track him down. But there are fears that gardaí may find it difficult to bring any charges against the individual given the level of evidence needed for a prosecution. Figures provided by the Department of Education yesterday show that 26% of schools have not yet introduced the Stay Safe programme into their classrooms, even though it was introduced in 1991.

The department points out that almost 99% of primary schools have participated in in-service training and that 87% have facilitated education regarding child protection issues. A department spokesman said the Stay Safe was a “personal safety skills programme designed to help prevent all forms of child victimisation.” Responding, Owen Keenan of Barnardos said: “The objective is to make children safe. If there are difficulties with Stay Safe, then it behoves us to overcome the difficulties and ensure children have the information.

“I would like to see the Department of Education taking a lead, in terms of either ensuring it is rolled out in its entirety or dealing with the objections that have been made to it.” Fionnuala Kilfeather of National Parent’s Council Primary said: “Stay Safe helps children to react in the right kind of way to various approaches that might be made to them.

“Parents need to ensure, with the help of their teachers, that they will be able to look after themselves as they grow older.”

A spokesman for CARI Foundation, which supports children and families affected by sexual abuse, said: “The Stay Safe programme is an excellent programme. It shouldn’t be seen as a panacea, but, certainly, implementation should be encouraged across the board.” Child support groups and gardaí yesterday moved to stress that child abductions were “a rarity” and that parents should remain calm.

Gardaí in Dundalk again appealed for anyone with information to contact them at 042-9335377. The suspect is described as being in his late 30s or 40s, with dark brown hair, moustache, wearing glasses and with earring.

l For further information on child safety see www.barnardos.ie or www.cari.ie.