Something Has Happened: Supporting Children’s Right to Feel Safe

For effective use, this book should be purchased alongside the guidebook- Guide for Safeguarding and Supporting Children’s Right to Feel Safe.

Something has happened to Joe. Now he doesn’t feel safe; he feels sick, wants to cry and can’t even concentrate on his computer games.

This carefully and sensitively written storybook has been created to enable conversations around safeguarding, teaching children about their right to feel safe, and what to do if, like Joe, they ever need help. With colourful and engaging illustrations, the story offers opportunities for discussion throughout, using Joe as a tool to help children understand their difficult feelings, who they can go to for help, and what they can do when it feels like nobody is listening.

This storybook:

• Teaches children about the right to feel safe, the safety continuum, networks of support and persistence
• Offers advice that can be used by children in any situation, from disclosing abuse to talking about smaller worries
• Can be used with both primary and lower-secondary aged pupils as a whole class, in small groups or in one-to-one sessions

Designed to be used alongside the professional guidebook, A Practical Resource for Supporting Children’s Right to Feel Safe, this is an essential tool for teachers, support staff and other professionals who want to teach children that being safe from harm is the most important right they have, and that the trusted adults around them will always take action to believe and protect them.