Attached is the Footsteps guide for parents. It is advice to parents/carers, that THEY need to help their child learn to risk assess traffic (while they are together). This is a life skill, essential for helping keep the child safe when they become independent, wherever they are – not just related to school journey.
It needs to be parents/carers that take this responsibility on, as they are the ones out and about with their youngsters. Learning about traffic needs to be done in that environment and will take time to learn the complex decision-making skills needed to cope.
Similarly to how children learn to swim; Children need to be accompanied by adult, starting out in easier setting (shallow water/quieter roads). As the child grows in confidence, the parent/carer can move them to more challenging situations (deeper water/more traffic).
With lots and lots of practice and encouragement the child should demonstrate they can cope (with traffic, if parents follow the questioning technics and inviting child into decisions as in the guide), then they can be moved to more challenging situation. Eventually, with lots of time and support, the child should be able to show the adult they can cope alone (in the deep end of pool alone/in any traffic location). That’s when the parent/carer can decide whether to allow their child to go it alone.
It is not complicated but, for many parents, is a shift away from telling children what to do; stop here, look there, go now…. Which keeps the child safe when they are together but doesn’t help the child learn to make decisions for themselves and prepare them for independence.
Julie Jones (Mrs)
Road Safety Education Officer
Community Safety Services
Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service