Grace Turner is acutely aware of the need to educate school children in how to cope with potentially dangerous situations such as bullying or assault.   As head facilitator of Berkshire CAP, Grace and her team offer training in Child Assault Prevention teaching children to be safe, strong and free. 

 

Grace reveals, “I know of a number of instances where children who have been on the CAP programme used the emergency yell when they realised they were in an unsafe situation. This is what we want for every child in Berkshire and throughout the United Kingdom – to know how to be safe.”

 

How does one teach young children about danger without scaring them? Grace explains, “We use puppets to show role-playing of successfully handling potentially dangerous situations. This encourages the children to be assertive, use peer support and to find a trusted adult. “

 

Grace and her team of workshop leaders and facilitators launched the CAP programme to Reading schools in Spring 2008. Aimed at Key Stage 1&2, the team has now worked in a number of Reading schools with great success. 

 

A seven year old in Reading said, “I think the Child Assault Prevention was very good. I think it helps people to understand more about bullying, strangers and feelings. I learned the emergency yell and to say NO!”

 

CAP is an international school based programme developed in Ohio in 1978 and is now used in 19 countries worldwide. With three components to a CAP school project: a staff briefing, parents’ workshop and children’s workshops, Berkshire CAP offers the workshop to every class in the school on a rolling programme over three years. This way the message gets to every member of the school community.

 

For more information about Berkshire CAP and the CAP programme, please visit the website www.devoncap.org.uk or speak to Grace Turner on 07918 165612.