Child Safe Zone in Weston-super-Mare

A SHOPPING centre in Weston-super-Mare is among many malls, beaches and visitor attractions to offer Child Safe Zones.

The Child Safe Zone scheme helps venues and parents to keep children safe and found quickly if they should ever get lost.

It is rare a child will become separated from a parent or carer but children can get distracted in busy places and if lost both you and your child should know what to do.

Sovereign Shopping Centre Weston is a Child Safe Zone offering wristbands to customers available from the car park collection pay point by the cafe.

A parent can pick up the free wristband to attach to their child’s wrist after filling out the reverse with emergency contact telephone numbers.

Should a child become lost parents can ring the number clearly displayed on the Child Safe Zones stickers or posters in the centre for direct contact with the local security team – getting help with a search quickly.

If you lose a child you should:

1) Stay close to where you last saw them

2) Look for the Child Safe sticker displayed on shops and windows

3) Ring the number displayedSpeak directly to security who will help you

If your child gets lost teach them to:

1) Stop, stand still and look, don’t run about

2) If you see the person you were with, go to them and hold their hand

3) If lost in a shop, go to the nearest till point and talk to a shop assistant.

4) If in the shopping centre, tell them to look for the smiley orange balloon window sticker, then look for a mum with her children and ask her to ring the number

5)Tell them not to go to anyone else

The best advice to prevent a child getting lost in the first place is:

1) Encourage children to stay close to you

2) Use reins or wrist links

3) Don’t leave a child in an unsupervised play area

4) Write a contact number on a wristband or tag

5) Carry an up to date photo

6) Make a note of what your child is wearing.